Saturday 30 March 2013
Friday 29 March 2013
Dutch Fishermen proud of MSC certification
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| Photo courtesy of Fishing News |
William Pike (on behalf of the SC 35 and SC 45) and skipper Simon Breed flyshooter SCH 65 Monday in Amsterdam were present to the MSC certificate to receive from the hands of Nathalie Steins MSC. "We have collectively more than two years on the certification work and now the result is there. That is something we can all be proud,'' said Pike. During the press conference presented Cees Kramer chef of Restaurant De Boet from Urk variation and cooking possibilities with plaice.
To consumers to encourage more often plaice on the table starts the Fish Marketing Board in May an advertising campaign in the women's magazines and gives them a recipe from plaice.
To consumers to encourage more often plaice on the table starts the Fish Marketing Board in May an advertising campaign in the women's magazines and gives them a recipe from plaice.
Fish2Fork says eat those commercially fished dredged scallops
When celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall donned scuba diving gear for his recent Fish Fight broadcast and inspected the seabed where a scallop dredger had just fished, he declared in shocked tones that all that was left was “desert”.
His coverage prompted ire among not just scallop fishermen but the wider fishing community, and provoked a host of vitriolic comments on websites such as The Real Fish Fight. But both the programme and the reaction from the fishing industry left unresolved the question of how sustainable dredged scallops are and how extensive the scallop dredging is.
On the face of it, scallop dredging is a destructive form of fishing that tears up the seabed and leaves little else able to thrive apart from the scallops themselves. Physically, the dredges have metal ‘teeth’ that tear into the seabed and rip up anything in their path as they are pulled by a boat. Such destructiveness is regarded by some chefs, scientists and environmental campaigners as an unacceptable price to pay for scallops, which in the UK are either king or queen scallops.
However, there are many other factors that also need to be taken into account, such as what sort of ground is being dredged. Storm and tide-tossed sands, for example, make a good habitat for scallops and the other creatures found there are adapted to disturbance.
The Marine Conservation Society is currently reviewing its advice on scallops but in the absence of this guidance, Fish2fork believes that they can continue to be put on menus.
His coverage prompted ire among not just scallop fishermen but the wider fishing community, and provoked a host of vitriolic comments on websites such as The Real Fish Fight. But both the programme and the reaction from the fishing industry left unresolved the question of how sustainable dredged scallops are and how extensive the scallop dredging is.
On the face of it, scallop dredging is a destructive form of fishing that tears up the seabed and leaves little else able to thrive apart from the scallops themselves. Physically, the dredges have metal ‘teeth’ that tear into the seabed and rip up anything in their path as they are pulled by a boat. Such destructiveness is regarded by some chefs, scientists and environmental campaigners as an unacceptable price to pay for scallops, which in the UK are either king or queen scallops.
However, there are many other factors that also need to be taken into account, such as what sort of ground is being dredged. Storm and tide-tossed sands, for example, make a good habitat for scallops and the other creatures found there are adapted to disturbance.
The Marine Conservation Society is currently reviewing its advice on scallops but in the absence of this guidance, Fish2fork believes that they can continue to be put on menus.
Thursday 28 March 2013
Latest animation seeks to explain the discard debacle
Every year in the EU, 1.7 million tonnes of fish are thrown back into the sea after being caught. This wasteful practice is widely criticised and negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament over the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) are seeking to address the problem. This video explores the reasons for discards in the EU, their implications and the current efforts to end the practice.
This video can be viewed on the IIEA website:http://www.iiea.com/blogosphere/video...
It forms part of The Environment Nexus -- your digital ecosystem.
http://www.iiea.com/environmentnexus
NFFO Slams Greenpeace For Failing To Act on Real Issues Affecting UK Fishermen
Fishing Industry Body Calls Latest Claims 'Unqualified, Assumption-Based Nonsense'
The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) has slammed claims by international environmental giant Greenpeace as 'unqualified, assumption-based nonsense' which are causing distraction from the industry's critical work on issues affecting the future livelihoods of UK fishermen.
The Federation, which represents fishermen's groups, individual fishermen and producer organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said that despite repeated, public invitations Greenpeace has failed to accept its offer to meet and discuss issues or qualify any of its claims, instead opting for a sensationalist media approach which does little to support the real interest of the industry.
Barrie Deas, Chief Executive of the NFFO, said: "Greenpeace are set on creating a sensationalist media storm fuelled by inaccuracies and gross generalisation. This is wasting valuable time and effort better spent dealing with some of the critical issues at hand, including the impact of the CFP reform, under-10s and long term management plans.
"The NFFO has now repeatedly exposed Greenpeace's generalisations and misrepresentations on how the industry works which ultimately only serves to undermine their reputation in the sector. They have yet to approach us direct with any of their assertions and our repeated efforts to meet with them to look at more credible and effective solutions for supporting our fishermen have been ignored. As such it calls into question their real motives."
"Once again we extend our offer to meet with Greenpeace to help put to bed any other inaccurate assumptions they decide to make about our membership."
Greenpeace's most recent attack on the industry body centres around allegations against Anglo-Spanish members of the Fleetwood Fish Producer's Organisation, who it claims are taking quota away from UK vessels. Greenpeace has omitted to point out that local fishermen invited the Anglo-Spanish vessels to join their organisation and that the UK quota under which the Anglo-Spanish vessels operate are based on historical records generated by the Anglo-Spanish vessels themselves, before the quota was allocated to the UK.
Last year the Fleetwood Fish Producer's Organisation contributed £600,000 worth of quota to meet its economic link obligations, which was in the main used for the benefit of under-10 meter fisheries. Also the Anglo Spanish vessels fish entirely different species in completely different areas and are therefore not in competition for quota with local fishermen.
Early in the month Greenpeace was exposed for making false claims around NFFO subscription fees being dominated by non-UK vessels. In previous statements, the NFFO has also criticised the environmental giant's false allegations against membership structure, making clear its membership reflects the diversity of the UK fleet. Just 8% of its member vessels are owned outside the UK.
As part of its commitment to ensuring the fair distribution of quotas, the NFFO shares the view of the Marine Management Organisation that the UK fishing industry is highly compliant with the rules under which it is obliged to operate. It has said any individual vessel operator, irrespective of home port, operating outside these rules it can expect to face the full legal penalties. It has also supported calls for the publication of a register of UK quota to help promote a fairer and more transparent quota system.
Additionally, in the interests of transparency, the Federation has released a breakdown of its membership base in response to Greenpeace's requests and has publically asked Greenpeace to meet to address any issues that they might with to raise on a number of occasions.
For more information about the NFFO or to read the Federation's official responses to Greenpeace's previous allegations visit www.nffo.org.uk
The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) has slammed claims by international environmental giant Greenpeace as 'unqualified, assumption-based nonsense' which are causing distraction from the industry's critical work on issues affecting the future livelihoods of UK fishermen.
The Federation, which represents fishermen's groups, individual fishermen and producer organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said that despite repeated, public invitations Greenpeace has failed to accept its offer to meet and discuss issues or qualify any of its claims, instead opting for a sensationalist media approach which does little to support the real interest of the industry.
Barrie Deas, Chief Executive of the NFFO, said: "Greenpeace are set on creating a sensationalist media storm fuelled by inaccuracies and gross generalisation. This is wasting valuable time and effort better spent dealing with some of the critical issues at hand, including the impact of the CFP reform, under-10s and long term management plans.
"The NFFO has now repeatedly exposed Greenpeace's generalisations and misrepresentations on how the industry works which ultimately only serves to undermine their reputation in the sector. They have yet to approach us direct with any of their assertions and our repeated efforts to meet with them to look at more credible and effective solutions for supporting our fishermen have been ignored. As such it calls into question their real motives."
"Once again we extend our offer to meet with Greenpeace to help put to bed any other inaccurate assumptions they decide to make about our membership."
Greenpeace's most recent attack on the industry body centres around allegations against Anglo-Spanish members of the Fleetwood Fish Producer's Organisation, who it claims are taking quota away from UK vessels. Greenpeace has omitted to point out that local fishermen invited the Anglo-Spanish vessels to join their organisation and that the UK quota under which the Anglo-Spanish vessels operate are based on historical records generated by the Anglo-Spanish vessels themselves, before the quota was allocated to the UK.
Last year the Fleetwood Fish Producer's Organisation contributed £600,000 worth of quota to meet its economic link obligations, which was in the main used for the benefit of under-10 meter fisheries. Also the Anglo Spanish vessels fish entirely different species in completely different areas and are therefore not in competition for quota with local fishermen.
Early in the month Greenpeace was exposed for making false claims around NFFO subscription fees being dominated by non-UK vessels. In previous statements, the NFFO has also criticised the environmental giant's false allegations against membership structure, making clear its membership reflects the diversity of the UK fleet. Just 8% of its member vessels are owned outside the UK.
As part of its commitment to ensuring the fair distribution of quotas, the NFFO shares the view of the Marine Management Organisation that the UK fishing industry is highly compliant with the rules under which it is obliged to operate. It has said any individual vessel operator, irrespective of home port, operating outside these rules it can expect to face the full legal penalties. It has also supported calls for the publication of a register of UK quota to help promote a fairer and more transparent quota system.
Additionally, in the interests of transparency, the Federation has released a breakdown of its membership base in response to Greenpeace's requests and has publically asked Greenpeace to meet to address any issues that they might with to raise on a number of occasions.
For more information about the NFFO or to read the Federation's official responses to Greenpeace's previous allegations visit www.nffo.org.uk
NGO: Transshipping facilitates ‘fish laundering’
Evidence has been uncovered revealing the transshipment of fish at sea and illegal fishing, which together bring illegally-caught products into the EU marketplace, said the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).
Ineffective monitoring means that consignments of transshipped fish regularly enter the EU marketplace, said the NGO
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The opportunity for fish ‘laundering’ to take place without detection means that fish stolen by pirate fishers from some of the poorest coastal communities in the world is being authorized by the EU to enter the European marketplace.
Global losses due to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing are estimated to be between $10 billion and $23.5 billion every year, it said.
West African waters are deemed to have the highest levels of IUU fishing in the world, representing up to 37% of the region’s catch. Along with the economic losses, pirate fishing in West Africa severely compromises food security and the livelihoods of coastal communities, the health of fish stocks and the marine environment, said EJF.
EJF says it has gathered evidence that the transshipment of fish from one vessel to another frequently facilitates the laundering of illegally-caught fish, due to the inability of coastal and flag state authorities to monitor how, by whom and where transferred fish was caught.
“The complications involved in monitoring large-scale transfers of fish at sea mean that any transshipment of fish from one vessel to another can currently obscure illegal activities,” said Steve Trent, executive director of EJF.
“Transshipment adds to the opacity in global fisheries that enables pirate fishers to operate in the shadows, far from supervision and regulation.”
“Fish is being caught illegally in the waters of West Africa, transshipped at sea and ‘laundered’ under a legal vessel’s paperwork to end up on our plates in Europe. Pirate fishing is devastating coastal communities in West Africa, where they have the highest levels of illegal fishing in the world. We simply cannot allow their food security to continue to be compromised whilst their fish enters the European marketplace.”
The NGO called for a ban of transshipment at sea, citing the difficulties in managing the activity as a key reason for illegally-caught fish being able to reach EU marketplaces.
EJF has released a briefing on transshipment at sea and why it ought to be banned, which can befound at its website.
Initiative to educate thousands of school pupils on benefits of seafood
Seafish to support British Nutrition Foundation's first-ever Healthy Eating Week with an engaging programme of activities for schools and nurseries
Seafish (the UK authority on seafood) is supporting the British Nutrition Foundation's (BNF) first-ever Healthy Eating Week (3 to 7 June 2013) to educate children and young people on the benefits of eating seafood and help address the lack of a formal framework for nutrition education within schools.
The initiative will help Seafish to reach hundreds of thousands of children and young people of all ages across the UK. Over 1,650 schools, representing some 770,000 children, have already registered to take part in the week and BNF expects this number to keep growing.
Speaking about their involvement Karen Galloway, Head of Marketing at Seafish said: "The British Nutrition Foundation's Healthy Eating Week is a fantastic initiative which has already secured some impressive results, and we are proud to be involved.
"It is absolutely vital that children and young people understand the importance of seafood as part of a healthy balanced diet, and by supporting the week we will be helping hundreds of thousands of children across the UK to do just that."
"Research has shown that many people are not getting enough of some of the essential nutrients that seafood provides - this is one of the reasons why educating consumers to help them make informed seafood choices is a key priority for Seafish."
Roy Ballam, Education Programme Manager at BNF added: "We are delighted that Seafish is supporting Healthy Eating Week, helping to promote good messages about diet and health to children throughout the UK. The collaboration seeks to engage children of all ages with food and nutrition. For example, there will be opportunities to learn about the nutrients provided by fish, investigate where fish comes from and cook some delicious seafood dishes."
In addition to their support for Healthy Eating Week and the information, tips and recipes they publish via the FishistheDish website, Seafish is delivering a number of fun and engaging educational initiatives for family members of all ages. This includes the Healthy Happy Hearts programme, which highlights the importance of the Omega-3 fatty acids for good heart health.
Seafish have also been working with the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) to increase the seafood presence on their teaching website, Food a Fact of Life. As part of this activity, the BNF featured a seafood poster on their website and in their Education Bulletin for March - this reached over 7,000 teachers. It was also as a key part of their conference materials in 2013.
Schools can join Healthy Eating Week for free at: www.healthyeatingweek.org.uk
For the latest Seafish educational information for consumers visitwww.fishisthedish.co.uk
Wednesday 27 March 2013
Interesting reading - though likely to cure insomnia for some
In depth review of evidence supporting the recommended marine conservation zones - MB0116
This work was commissioned following the recommendation from the independent Science Advisory Panel that the evidence base for MCZs required a further in-depth review of data and information. The aim of the project is to deliver a comprehensive review of the MCZ evidence and identify any new evidence that can be used. The project only covers ecological features (as defined within the Ecological Network Guidance) and provides opinions on the level of confidence in the data. It will complement the advice provided by JNCC and Natural England on the MCZ evidence base. The outputs and conclusions of the projects will be considered as part of future MCZ evidence assessment and prior to MCZ designation in 2013.
Key Customer Purpose
The study will build on and extend the evidence base underpinning rMCZs, making an important contribution to the MCZ Project. The project will be led by ABPmer supported by the Marine Biological Association of the UK and Marine Planning Consultants. Defra, Natural England and JNCC have published statements on the report to clarify findings and set the context for how the report fits with wider MCZ work.
Summary:
COD - Ordinary legislative procedure (ex-codecision procedure)
Fishery resources: recovery of cod stocks, long-term plan; aligning the Regulation with
the TFEU (Commission delegated and implementing powers)
Amending Regulation (EC) No 1342/2008 2008/0063(CNS)
Subject:
3.15.01 Fish stocks, conservation of fishery resources
3.15.04 Management of fisheries, fisheries, fishing grounds
3.15.05 Fish catches, import tariff quotas
Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
The complete set of papers and reports can be found here.
The fleet is all at sea so not much fish on the market this morning
The beach at Newlyn Green is loaded yet again with kelp torn from the rocks during the recent bad weather, not even MPAs can prevent natural damage like this from occurring...
sun over the beam trawl...
as the light spreads across the Bay...
VesselTracker's handy little AIS app tracks the Rowse crabber Chris Tacha PL26 as she steams past Mousehole watched by Tom...
on the market a handful of boxes from a handful of boats...
but still the big cod keep coming...
and it won't be long before the red mullet begin to show in numbers...
nearly finished the planking job on the crabber...
boots in the black.
Monday 25 March 2013
Plenty of Newlyn boats involved in the Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme.
The Responsible Fishing Scheme - created by Seafish - has been developed to raise standards in the catching sector and to demonstrate responsible fishing practices to you and the supply chain. Based on quality standards of vessel, crew, catch and compliance, it is one way of ensuring that what reaches you on the plate has come from the highest standards of fishing management.
Here, we introduce the scheme and some of the skippers involved tell us about the care they put into their boats, their catch and the environment. Who better to tell us about the modern day fishing industry than the skippers themselves?
Newlyn's Monday market for monk cheeks and more
Plenty of cod on the ground at this time of year...
along with a good run of hake...
for the local net fleet...
imagine these in any number of recipes for monk cheeks...
even the beamers are landing boxes of big cod...
and the elusive stripy fish have shown their noses in the Bay once or twice in the last few days...
as the boys on the Gary M take the time to scrub down the boat before going back into tier...
still waiting in the harbour, the survey vessel
and trawler meets netter up the end of the new quay...
ready for the next deluge it seems, sandbags at the ready grace the threshold of a Newlyn art gallery.
Fish at the Tolcarne Inn
Local blogger, Nick Strangelove who pens the Penzance Post pages with craftily observed lines has enjoyed the company of Newlyn and probably Penzance's best fish eating experience with a piece on Ben Tunnicliffe now well established in the cozily comfortable log-fired Tolcarne Inn.
The full Penzance Post piece can be read here:
"That is what won him his star at the Abbey, and that is what he continues to do at the Tolcarne. He wants to bring the same high standards to Newlyn without bringing the formality that is synonymous with it. He is out to prove that you can have great food at an affordable price."
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| The menu can change from day-to-day following the landings from the local fleet less than 100 yards away. |
"He wants to do everything he can to help promote Newlyn and the fishing industry in a positive light, and spends study days with students at Penwith Collegedeveloping recipes for students to produce in conjunction with Stevenson and sell through their shops. It’s about connecting new culinary talent to the primary produce of the area – there's nothing more sustainable than that."
The full Penzance Post piece can be read here:
ANALYSIS: Sylvia Earle Alliance Misleads Public on Habitat Closed Area Changes
On the back of the previous post!
ANALYSIS: Sylvia Earle Alliance Misleads Public on Habitat Closed Area Changes
WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) March 18, 2013 - After nearly 20 years, there is little evidence that the habitat area closures off the New England coast benefit groundfish stocks. In addition, recent seabed mapping suggests that they are not even in locations best suited for habitat protection. Yet, the Sylvia Earle Alliance's web-story, "New England Fisheries Face Serious Setbacks (2/27)," misleads readers with the argument that the New England Fishery Management Council's (NEFMC) proposals to change the closures puts New England's Georges Bank seabed "at risk of serious ecological setback," when multiple studies prove otherwise.
The Council's proposed Omnibus Amendment, which recommends changing access to these New England closures, was developed using advice from their Habitat Plan Development Team (PDT), which determined that keeping the locations closed to fishing is ultimately more detrimental to the New England seabed.
Academic sources used in the preparation of this response are linked throughout and listed in the bibliography at the end of this alert.
The Truth About Trawling In New England
The Alliance's allegations about the ecological effects of trawling in New England do not appear to be informed by relevant scientific findings.
A significant portion of the Georges Bank seabed is a sandy, soft-bottom ecosystem. This type of benthic environment shifts frequently due to strong tidal changes and storms. These areas are considered "highly dynamic," meaning that they are accustomed to natural disturbances. A 2012 study by scientists from the Alaska Pacific University and the School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth found that tidal forces were strong enough to shift seafloor habitats every two weeks. Much of Georges Bank is subject to tidal forces so strong (roughly equivalent to or greater than 70 mph winds on land*) and shifts so much that very little permanent life can grow.
Multiple studies demonstrate that trawling in dynamic environments has minimal effects on the seabed's ecosystem and productivity. A 2001-2002 federal survey evaluating the effects of trawls on soft-bottom New England habitat concluded that the effects of trawls were comparable to the effects of natural disturbances. The study found no great ecological difference between seabeds in areas that have been trawled for over 50 years and areas that have only been disturbed by natural events. A later 2006 academic study reached a similar conclusion about the effects of trawling on Georges Bank, concluding that a "short-term sea scallop fishery" alters the environment "less than the natural dynamic environmental conditions of Georges Bank."
Managing Our Management
The Council's recommendations are mislabeled by the Alliance as "shortsided," when, in fact, the proposal attempts to increase overall habitat protection by accounting for new management practices and updated science.
In 2010, the Northeast abandoned a system of effort controls -- which managed the fishery by limiting when, where, and how fishermen could fish -- and switched to allocation-based management. Under this new regulatory system, only a pre-determined quota of fish can be taken from the ocean.
Currently, large areas of the closures remain as vestiges of the outdated effort controls from the early 1990s. This creates complications when managed alongside the new allocation system. By excluding fishermen from productive fishing grounds, these effort controls force fishermen to increase their overall fishing efforts to reach quota, ultimately affecting more habitat.
The comprehensive analysis backing the Amendment concludes that opening areas of the outdated closures to commercial fishing -- including trawling -- will minimize total adverse effects:
"We find that for nearly all area and gear type combinations, opening existing closed areas to fishing is predicted to decrease aggregate adverse effects. For mobile bottom tending gears, which comprise nearly 99% of all adverse effects in our region, allowing fishing in almost any portion of the area closures on Georges Bank is estimated to substantially decrease total adverse effects from fishing." (pg. 16)
This analysis has been praised by the NEFMC's Science and Statistical Committee.
Research Transformed Into Action
Since the late 1990s, when habitat areas considered important to groundfish were closed as part of the Magnuson-Steven Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the science behind the boundaries has become outdated. When the areas were designated, scientists had limited information (charts with over 100 hand-drawn habitat samples compared to the 70,000 video sample points from a ten-year study available today) about the New England seabed. The areas were chosen based largely on the locations of the previous effort control closures from earlier in the decade that were intended to limit fishing ability, not protect specialized habitat.
This ten-year study, which between 1999-2009 mapped the Georges Bank seabed using underwater video, indicated that the current closures are not in locations that would best protect important habitats. The closure boundaries appear to be geographically arbitrary and do not include many of the rocky habitats that are most susceptible to fishing disturbances. These rocky areas are also most likely to harbor juvenile groundfish and feature unique habitats. This creates a no-win situation for both the fishermen and the fish.
*70mph winds are the rough equivalent to the 1 newton-per-meter-squared amount of force the seabed faces twice a month.
Read the full story from the Sylvia Earle Alliance
Bibliography
Harris, Bradley; Cowles, Geoffrey; Stokesbury, Kevin, "Surficial sediment stability on Georges Bank, in the Great South Channel and on eastern Nantucket Shoals," Continental Shelf Research, Volume 49, September 23, 2012, p. 65-72
Harris, Bradley; Stokesbury, Kevin, "The spatial structure of local surficial sediment characteristics on Georges Bank, USA," Continental Shelf Research, Volume 30, Issue 17, October 15, 2010, p. 1840-1853
NOAA/NMFS Unallied Science Project, Cooperative Agreement, " Bottom Net Trawl Fishing Gear Effect on the Seabed: Investigation of Temporal and Cumulative Effects." December 2005
Stokesbury, Kevin; Harris, Bradley, "Impact of limited short-term sea scallop fishery on epibenthic community of Georges Bank closed areas," Marine Ecology Progress Series, Volume 307, January 24, 2006, p. 85-100
ANALYSIS: Sylvia Earle Alliance Misleads Public on Habitat Closed Area Changes
WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) March 18, 2013 - After nearly 20 years, there is little evidence that the habitat area closures off the New England coast benefit groundfish stocks. In addition, recent seabed mapping suggests that they are not even in locations best suited for habitat protection. Yet, the Sylvia Earle Alliance's web-story, "New England Fisheries Face Serious Setbacks (2/27)," misleads readers with the argument that the New England Fishery Management Council's (NEFMC) proposals to change the closures puts New England's Georges Bank seabed "at risk of serious ecological setback," when multiple studies prove otherwise.
The Council's proposed Omnibus Amendment, which recommends changing access to these New England closures, was developed using advice from their Habitat Plan Development Team (PDT), which determined that keeping the locations closed to fishing is ultimately more detrimental to the New England seabed.
Academic sources used in the preparation of this response are linked throughout and listed in the bibliography at the end of this alert.
The Truth About Trawling In New England
The Alliance's allegations about the ecological effects of trawling in New England do not appear to be informed by relevant scientific findings.
A significant portion of the Georges Bank seabed is a sandy, soft-bottom ecosystem. This type of benthic environment shifts frequently due to strong tidal changes and storms. These areas are considered "highly dynamic," meaning that they are accustomed to natural disturbances. A 2012 study by scientists from the Alaska Pacific University and the School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth found that tidal forces were strong enough to shift seafloor habitats every two weeks. Much of Georges Bank is subject to tidal forces so strong (roughly equivalent to or greater than 70 mph winds on land*) and shifts so much that very little permanent life can grow.
Multiple studies demonstrate that trawling in dynamic environments has minimal effects on the seabed's ecosystem and productivity. A 2001-2002 federal survey evaluating the effects of trawls on soft-bottom New England habitat concluded that the effects of trawls were comparable to the effects of natural disturbances. The study found no great ecological difference between seabeds in areas that have been trawled for over 50 years and areas that have only been disturbed by natural events. A later 2006 academic study reached a similar conclusion about the effects of trawling on Georges Bank, concluding that a "short-term sea scallop fishery" alters the environment "less than the natural dynamic environmental conditions of Georges Bank."
Managing Our Management
The Council's recommendations are mislabeled by the Alliance as "shortsided," when, in fact, the proposal attempts to increase overall habitat protection by accounting for new management practices and updated science.
In 2010, the Northeast abandoned a system of effort controls -- which managed the fishery by limiting when, where, and how fishermen could fish -- and switched to allocation-based management. Under this new regulatory system, only a pre-determined quota of fish can be taken from the ocean.
Currently, large areas of the closures remain as vestiges of the outdated effort controls from the early 1990s. This creates complications when managed alongside the new allocation system. By excluding fishermen from productive fishing grounds, these effort controls force fishermen to increase their overall fishing efforts to reach quota, ultimately affecting more habitat.
The comprehensive analysis backing the Amendment concludes that opening areas of the outdated closures to commercial fishing -- including trawling -- will minimize total adverse effects:
"We find that for nearly all area and gear type combinations, opening existing closed areas to fishing is predicted to decrease aggregate adverse effects. For mobile bottom tending gears, which comprise nearly 99% of all adverse effects in our region, allowing fishing in almost any portion of the area closures on Georges Bank is estimated to substantially decrease total adverse effects from fishing." (pg. 16)
This analysis has been praised by the NEFMC's Science and Statistical Committee.
Research Transformed Into Action
Since the late 1990s, when habitat areas considered important to groundfish were closed as part of the Magnuson-Steven Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the science behind the boundaries has become outdated. When the areas were designated, scientists had limited information (charts with over 100 hand-drawn habitat samples compared to the 70,000 video sample points from a ten-year study available today) about the New England seabed. The areas were chosen based largely on the locations of the previous effort control closures from earlier in the decade that were intended to limit fishing ability, not protect specialized habitat.
This ten-year study, which between 1999-2009 mapped the Georges Bank seabed using underwater video, indicated that the current closures are not in locations that would best protect important habitats. The closure boundaries appear to be geographically arbitrary and do not include many of the rocky habitats that are most susceptible to fishing disturbances. These rocky areas are also most likely to harbor juvenile groundfish and feature unique habitats. This creates a no-win situation for both the fishermen and the fish.
*70mph winds are the rough equivalent to the 1 newton-per-meter-squared amount of force the seabed faces twice a month.
Read the full story from the Sylvia Earle Alliance
Bibliography
Harris, Bradley; Cowles, Geoffrey; Stokesbury, Kevin, "Surficial sediment stability on Georges Bank, in the Great South Channel and on eastern Nantucket Shoals," Continental Shelf Research, Volume 49, September 23, 2012, p. 65-72
Harris, Bradley; Stokesbury, Kevin, "The spatial structure of local surficial sediment characteristics on Georges Bank, USA," Continental Shelf Research, Volume 30, Issue 17, October 15, 2010, p. 1840-1853
NOAA/NMFS Unallied Science Project, Cooperative Agreement, " Bottom Net Trawl Fishing Gear Effect on the Seabed: Investigation of Temporal and Cumulative Effects." December 2005
Stokesbury, Kevin; Harris, Bradley, "Impact of limited short-term sea scallop fishery on epibenthic community of Georges Bank closed areas," Marine Ecology Progress Series, Volume 307, January 24, 2006, p. 85-100
New study shows just how little damage is done to the sea bed by trawling - in fact, less than the elements!
Just the sort of long-term rigorous study needed by the fishing community to help counteract the claims made by the likes of HFW and other less-than-well-informed-parties as to the true nature of the fishing industry. No, it there are obviously exceptions to this study but hard, not anecdotal evidence is needed.
Impact of limited short-term sea scallop fishery on epibenthic community of Georges Bank closed areas
Kevin D. E. Stokesbury*, Bradley P. Harris School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 706 South Rodney French Boulevard, New Bedford, Massachusetts 02744-1221, USA
Email: kstokesbury@umassd.edu
ABSTRACT: On Georges Bank, 2 areas that had been closed to sea scallop fishing since 1994 were opened for a limited harvest from August 2000 to February 2001. The effects of this limited short-term fishery on the epibenthic community were examined using a ‘before/after, control/impact’ environmental design conducted with video surveys. A centric systematic survey with 1379 stations placed on a 1.57 km grid, with 4 video quadrats collected at each station (3.235 m2 per quadrat equaling 17789 m2 total sample area), was completed in 2 control and 2 impact areas before and after the fishery. The sea scallops Placopecten magellanicus and starfishes (primarily Asterias vulgaris) comprised more than 84% of the fauna. Changes in the number of taxonomic categories and the density of individuals within each category in the areas impacted by the fishery were similar to changes in the control areas that remained closed to fishing. Further, sediment composition shifted between surveys more than epibenthic faunal composition, suggesting that this community is adapted to a dynamic environment. The limited short-term sea scallop fishery on Georges Bank appeared to alter the epibenthic community less than the natural dynamic environmental conditions.
KEY WORDS:
Sea scallop · Video · Georges Bank · Fishing impact · Before/after, control/impact BACI · Closed areas
Impact of limited short-term sea scallop fishery on epibenthic community of Georges Bank closed areas
Kevin D. E. Stokesbury*, Bradley P. Harris School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 706 South Rodney French Boulevard, New Bedford, Massachusetts 02744-1221, USA
Email: kstokesbury@umassd.edu
ABSTRACT: On Georges Bank, 2 areas that had been closed to sea scallop fishing since 1994 were opened for a limited harvest from August 2000 to February 2001. The effects of this limited short-term fishery on the epibenthic community were examined using a ‘before/after, control/impact’ environmental design conducted with video surveys. A centric systematic survey with 1379 stations placed on a 1.57 km grid, with 4 video quadrats collected at each station (3.235 m2 per quadrat equaling 17789 m2 total sample area), was completed in 2 control and 2 impact areas before and after the fishery. The sea scallops Placopecten magellanicus and starfishes (primarily Asterias vulgaris) comprised more than 84% of the fauna. Changes in the number of taxonomic categories and the density of individuals within each category in the areas impacted by the fishery were similar to changes in the control areas that remained closed to fishing. Further, sediment composition shifted between surveys more than epibenthic faunal composition, suggesting that this community is adapted to a dynamic environment. The limited short-term sea scallop fishery on Georges Bank appeared to alter the epibenthic community less than the natural dynamic environmental conditions.
KEY WORDS:
Sea scallop · Video · Georges Bank · Fishing impact · Before/after, control/impact BACI · Closed areas
Sunday 24 March 2013
Sapphire II now in commission after her first trip.
After three months of DTI work the good ship Sapphire II finally makes it to sea and a much relieved skipper sees her make a full trip - nice one Mike!
Twelve cylinders drive the main shaft...
in the hugely spacious engine room...
even has two tiers of steps to get in and out...
the emergency exit from the engine room...
two generations of skippers...
down below in the accommodation
stairway to heaven, well up to the deck from the accommodation anyway...
their are winch controls for the twin net drums on the stern...
the boat spent many years twin-rigging after a career start pair-trawling...
and even a skipper's bunk which makes for a useful store...
offset to starboard - why? - the boat was built as the port-side member of a pair-team built to order
out on the main deck, two huge hoppers take the fish from the cod ends
as seen from the skipper's view in the wheelhouse...
and the view the fish have going down the conveyor to the fishroom...
the starboard 10 metre gear...
and the view to the top!
Paint jobs
A spot of deck paint topsides...
and a dash of anti-fouling below the water line...
for Cap'n Stevens of the good ship Benediction from the Dreckly Fish team...
lurking, a monster of the deep, one morki...
nice one Debbie!
Saturday 23 March 2013
Taking the Real Fish Fight as far south as you can get!
Taking the Real Fish Fight from Scotland to the most southerly port inthe country and as a far from Peterhead as you can get - hake from the Newlyn netter Ajax takes up the fight!
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