Update: Catch recording for under 10m fishing vessels starts this summer.

Changes to the planned introduction of catch recording for all English and Welsh under 10 metre fishing boats have been made following a public consultation.

A report on the consultation was published on 6 June and includes a summary of the comments received and how fishing authorities are responding to them.

We would like to thank everyone who took part in this consultation as well as more than 100 fishers who have been helping us to test the prototype of the catch recording service that we have been developing.

We have listened to the concerns of individuals and industry and made three changes to the way that we will be introducing this licence change.

Trawlers and fishing boats in Newlyn Harbour, Cornwall, England.

One of these changes is the decision to carry out a phased introduction of the new service, beginning later this summer. By introducing catch recording to sections of the under 10m fishing fleet gradually, the project team will continue to learn from the experiences of owners and skippers throughout the summer and make improvements where necessary.

The second important change is removal of the requirement for a landing declaration. Submission of a landing declaration, within 48 hours of fish leaving a vessel, had been set out in the original proposal for all quota and non-quota catches. Following several responses to the consultation that raised concerns about double reporting, this requirement has now been removed; the catch record is the only document needed.

The third change to the catch recording service removes the need for a separate paper transport document to be carried. As long as the estimated catch record has been submitted this digital record will suffice.

This project is an important part of our strategy to support the viability and growth of our fishing industry, as it will provide a better understanding of catch by the under 10 metre fishing fleet registered in England and Wales. Better data gathering will also provide better scientific evidence and lead to better decision making.

Small fishing boats in Cornwall

Other benefits of introducing catch recording for under 10 metre vessels include: a greater understanding of the activities of under 10 metre fishing vessels, which will allow for better fisheries’ management; better records will also allow the origins of fish to be traced, which should lead to improved sales and marketing opportunities for the industry; and improvements in enforcing catch limits and quotas.

The new catch recording service will see the owners and operators of under 10 metre vessels, who catch and land species subject to quotas, catch limits or effort restrictions, recording their catch via a mobile device (a smartphone or tablet) prior to the fish leaving the vessel. This service will be available online (via a link, from any device) and also as an app, which can be downloaded for both android and Apple devices.

Those who catch only non-quota species would have 24 hours to record their catch via either a mobile device, a personal computer or laptop.

This summer the Welsh Government will be running a number of training events for owners and skippers and the MMO will be organising face-to-face sessions to demonstrate the new system. Further details will be released in the coming weeks.

Full summary of responses to the consultation