Fishermen will be banned from throwing dead fish back into sea

Fisheries Ministers at the European Union have decided to ban fishermen from throwing unwanted dead fish back into the sea.

The UN says Europe has the world's worst record of throwing away fish.

Almost a quarter of all catches go back overboard dead because they are not the fish the crews wanted to catch.

Some fishermen say they do this because of the Common Fisheries Policy.

The rule means fishing fleets have 'catch limits' for certain species, and if they go over this limit they have to throw them back.

Now, after much campaigning and long debates, ministers from all over Europe have agreed to bring a stop to it by January next year.

However, there are special rules for France, Portugal and Spain, where they will still be allowed to discard some of their catch.

Campaigners, along with the UK Government, say the ban will help marine life as well as support fishermen.