A huge debate was sparked on Twitter after Katya Adler, the BBC’s Europe editor, used the term “fisherpeople” when talking about post-Brexit fishing rights in the UK. The term has divided politicians and political commentators but Express.co.uk readers have shown they are vehemently opposed to the replacement “fisherpeople”.
An Express.co.uk poll – which ran from 11.30am to 8pm today – asked whether the BBC was right to make the controversial move.
Out of 7,641 votes, 98 percent (7,456) of voters objected to the BBC’s decision.
Just two percent (155) agreed while 30 people said they don’t know.
One person said: “Typically pathetic and unnecessary PC garbage and NOT however unexpected from the BBC, but precisely WHO do they think they’re sucking up to and hoping to please when they concoct such derisive drivel anyway?”
Someone simply put it: “Don’t be so petty and stupid!”
A third person said: “Absolutely had a gutsful of this infantile PC nonsense and the idiots promoting it.”
A fourth reader added: “This just about sums up the irrelevance of the BBC.
“Way past their sell by date now.”
READ MORE: Piers Morgan explodes at ‘ridiculous’ BBC as it calls Fishermen
“Substitute journalists, business leaders, police officers etc, as appropriate.”
The ever vocal presenter Piers Morgan – who has criticised gender-neutral terms on multiple occasions – exploded over the use of the word “fisherpeople”.
He said: “Is there a single woman in the country who actually trawls for fish professionally?”
He said while statistics show that 2.7 percent of the UK’s fishers are female, he has yet to meet any.
Mr Morgan added: “But has anyone ever seen one? I don’t think I have and yet the whole language is being changed from ‘fishermen’ to ‘fisherpeople’.
“We’re just simply pointing out that there are certain jobs that women don’t like to do.”
Barrie Deas, chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, dismissed “fisherpeople” as a clumsy word and suggested people instead use the term “fishers” instead.
He said: “There are women in the industry on the processing and management side – including a president and chair of this federation – so the reality is that women are well-represented in the industry as a whole but not very much on the catching side.
“It’s really only a handful. Mostly it’s men that crew the boats.”
