Urgent - MCA Medical Assessment - Harbour Master Assessmments and Sea Survival Certificate

This is a shout out from NUTFA to fishermen who are currently sorting their MCA medicals out.

 

"Please would any fisherman make contact with me if he/she has submitted evidence to the MCA medical assessor based on harbour master evidence. I am also seeking fishermen to come forward who have been asked to have a Sea Survival Course in order to obtain an ML5 medical certificate. I understand on both aspects that there are many.

I am concerned regarding potential insurance aspects of those fishers who now have a medical certificate issued on harbour master evidence and would wish to direct the fishers back to the medical assessor and MCA for clarification on the position that they now find themselves in with the withdrawal of support from harbour masters across the country to support evidence towards the medical assessment process. I have been advised by the Harbour Master Association that such evidence submitted is "null and void" and from the advice that NUTFA have taken on the insurance aspect of this difficulty, NUTFA are deeply concerned on the potential issues now at play with regard to potential insurance litigation in the future.

Secondly, I would like to collate numbers on the amount of fishermen who have been advised by the MCA medical assessor to obtain a Sea Survival Certificate as a requirement of the medical examination, particularly where the wet drill in the pool will be difficult or impossible due to conditions such as eczema, pneumonia, long covid, inability to swim, etc. I am also unclear on numbers as to whether the fishing training system will be able to cope with the number of fishermen now seeking to undertake a Sea Survival course imminently and again welcome data on numbers."

Thank you as always for the data/info which is making a huge difference on the current campaign. 

Thanks in anticipation. 

Please email on sarah@nutfa.co.uk or WhatsApp as usual on 07402 089170. 

Sarah Ready NUTFA

Put Local Fishermen First - Coastal Champions' Tour 2015

Greenpeace in association with NUTFA have launched their Coastal Champions Tour from Porthleven by launching the Rising Tide which will carry their message to every key port in England and an action plan to:

• Give local, sustainable boats a fair share of quota 
• Give low-impact fishing boats priority access to coastal waters (up to 12 nautical miles off land) 
• Give low-impact fishing representatives a permanent seat at the table where EU-wide decisions on fishing are made 
• Put marine protection measures in place in a way that benefits low-impact fishermen and coastal communities 
• Reward selective fishing in order to restore fish stocks

At every port Greenpeace are inviting local MPs to sign up their support - as a result the launch party at Porthleven was attended by representatives from three local parties that included the Green Party's Tim Andrews whose manifesto on fishing makes for good reading - as does their plans for for Parliamentary reformation , Labour's St Ives candidate Cornelius Oliver and sitting Lib-Dem MP Andrew George - no sign of a representative from the Conservative party under whom Ted Heath signed away UK sovereign waters when we joined the then Common Market - and as a result were forced to sign up to the CFP (Common Fisheries Policy) which has served many of our inshore fishermen so badly.

Under 10s clarification from a CFPO member.

The following was received from David Stevens regarding NUTFA's comments on quota management. Always keen to promote understanding between the various shore side groups that represent many (but by no means all) fishermen up and down the country.

"Hi Larry, would just like to point out that the local Cornish PO has over 100 under 10m members, and their views are well represented by the PO. 

One of the issue raised yesterday to the minister was for the local under 10 vessels to have their quota managed by the CFPO if they wished, rather than being managed by the MMO, as this would enable them to take their share of the quota as and when it suited them.It is wrong of NUTFA to say that, the under 10 have no quota, within English administered waters they have access to nearly 20% of the whitefish TAC for England.If you compare the monthly bulletins they have from the MMO for the under 10 sector, to those of us in the over 10 sector there is very little between the amounts available in both sectors. 

The greatest problem we have is that by the government creating a two tier system you have one sector which has gone through a huge consolidation process, as opposed to the under 10's who have seen an increase in effort over the last 10-15 years creating over capacity. Government is struggling to know what to do with the situation they have created, the under 10's are struggling to come to terms with working in a managed sector in the last 3 years, and this is has not been helped by the misguided policies of NUTFA.

What is needed is for the industry to come together as one, as it should always have been and sort the problems out in a sensible way. By allowing the CFPO to trial management for the under 10s in Cornwall and work together for the good of all of the industry is to me a sensible approach and one NUTFA should listen to.We have also put to NUTFA that the CFPO would be happy to help them set up a PO in the southeast, to help manage their healthy quota amounts in that area and it would also give them a strong voice in the industry."

D Stevens skipper Crystal Sea II 

Under 10s meet with fisheries minister Benyon today.

Mackerel men - typical Under 10m boats head for the market.

Representatives from the coves of Cornwall led by local MP Andrew George are meeting with the fisheries minister Richard Benyon today. They go to press their case for less drastic conservation zones as outlined in the recently published MCZ areas from Finding Sanctuary, part of the national scheme to introduce protected areas around the UK coast. Under the current proposals, Cornwall is due to lode 20% of its fishing grounds to protected areas. Many of the cove fishermen rely on some of these areas to carve a living and feel that the tiny numbers of fish they catch using traditional hand and line or small nets hardly warrant blanket restrictions on their fishing activities.

Many of the Under 10s fleet are represented nationally by NUTFA - who in their latest newsletter called for the formation of a PO (Producer Organisation) - which would seem illogical as there are no fish to manage for the Under 10m boats as compared to POs like the Cornwall Fish Producer's Organisation who represent the Over 10s. This once again highlights the stark contrast between the industry in England compared to that, of say France, where there are powerful local bodies like the Commitee de Peche Locale - with national representation and direct contact with the government departments to cite their grievances. The more socialist tendencies of French culture in this case mean that the fishing communities of France are well served by strong, well co-ordinated shore side bodies able to represent all sectors of the industry at local, regional, national and ultimately pan-European levels.

Up-to-date hard facts, figures, catch data and statistics are all readily available for the French fleet and anyone who needs to get a picture of the industry at local or national level - not something that could be readily achieved when collating similar data from English fishing activity.

"Nutfa is also meeting with Defra officials shortly to discuss the ability of the under ten fleet to set up a PO. Whilst it recognises that there is little point in having a PO if you have no fish to manage, the combination of both EU and UK official comments on the allocation of fish has encouraged Nutfa to pursue the issue as a basis for future proofing the sector in the event that the current situation alters. The EU Fisheries Commissioner was clear at the recent meeting with Nutfa that the discussion regarding ITQ’s would be focused on consideration only at Member State level, she said, “I am not talking about privatisation,  I am not talking about ownership rights, but about giving user rights for ten years, after which this right returns to the state”.  Nutfa continues to make clear their reservations about the introduction of ITQ’s, not least for the threat they pose to inshore fishermen without the resources enjoyed by many offshore operators. Experiences in other countries have shown the danger that such a system can represent to small scale fishermen, often resulting in a complete loss of quota from the inshore sector. At the same time, it was leaving no stone unturned and the discussions with Defra on a Producer Organisation were happening in the light of clear messages from Government that they were intent on dealing with what the Minister has described as the biggest challenge facing him and his great commitment to finally sorting the situation out.

Jerry Percy said, following the round of recent meetings, “we must all remember that we are arguing from within the asylum and that unless we get a root and branch reform of the CFP, we are all doomed, irrespective of sector. From a UK perspective, the new Minister has, for probably the first time, the ability to speak directly with the likes of Nutfa as well as with representatives of the over 10 sector. He has the opportunity to really make a difference in both the short and long terms and we welcome his promises in this respect. It will be up to under ten fishermen to make their views known so that Nutfa can clearly reflect them to the Government and others. Believe me, this is the end game for the under tens, irrespective of whether you fish quota, non quota or shellfish. Nutfa doesn’t have the massive resources of other organisations but does have the commitment to fight to the finish for the interests of under ten fishermen but it is down to individuals to support the organisation if they want to make their voice heard and have any chance of a viable future."

Extracted from the latest news - NUTFA.