Fisheries debate in Westminster - good turnout from Cornish and coastal MPs.

In today's Westminster Fisheries debate Cornish MP Anna Gelderd asked for all sectors to work together.

Anna Gelderd MP for South East ornwall

"Thank you, it is a pleasure to serve under your Chairmanship Mr Efford. I also thank the Honourable Member for Orkney and Shetland for securing this important debate.

Listen to the full debate here

As South East Cornwall’s MP, I am proud to represent a constituency with a rich fishing heritage. Our iconic small-scale fishing fleets and charter vessels from Looe and Polperro, and from Fowey in the neighbouring constituency, are the life blood of our communities—a proud tradition passed down through generations, tying our communities to the sea.

I want to pay tribute firstly to those who support our brave fishers and their families: the harbour master and port authorities, the RNLI that I had the privilege of working for previously, SEAFARERS UK, and the Fishermen’s Mission. If you haven’t bought your Christmas cards yet, may I suggest these fantastic charities that do so much when things go wrong. I would also like to pay tribute to Cornwall Seafood Training, especially Clive Palfrey of Looe, for his tireless work to raise safety standards and still makes time to helm the Looe Lifeboat.

This Labour Government is rightly committed to tackling climate change and biodiversity loss. Damaging practices have taken a significant toll on the marine environment and urgent action is needed to secure the sustainability of the fishing industry and restore the health of our seas.

Offshore wind is essential to achieving home grown, clean energy, but developments must be carefully sited to minimise disruption to ecosystems, sensitive habitats, and historic fishing grounds. Marine spatial prioritisation provides a framework to balance these competing needs, but our fishers must be included in decisions. I urge the Minister to ensure that consultations are held in local ports, scheduled around tides, so that fishers can attend without sacrificing a day’s income or missing the chance to be heard. This should become the norm, rather than the exception. It is a simple ask, but I know it would mean so much to our fishers and improve Government engagement, which is vital.

Sustainable fisheries management is also essential. Catch limits should be set using the latest available scientific advice, but the UK lacks robust data on many commercial species. I wonder if the Minister agrees that prioritising a roadmap to improve stock assessments and working with partners on shared stocks to secure sustainable management, is essential.

Better monitoring and enforcement are vital to compliance, but issues with CatchAPP and Inshore Vessel Monitoring must be urgently addressed. Could the Minister seek assurances that the MMO will address this, ensure transparency and timelines on fixes, and adopt a pragmatic approach until these systems are fully operational.

Globally, management and enforcement of marine resources are often poor. Stronger labelling laws could block IUU fish from entering UK markets and protect our domestic fleets. I would be grateful if the Minister would commit to a review of the existing labelling laws to protect not just the world’s oceans, but our markets too.

Locally, buying UK products helps to boost incomes for our fleets. I pay tribute to fishmongers like Pengelly’s of Looe, who do a great job of supporting their local fleet and offer an overnight service for those without a local shop.

I also want to highlight the work of local Looe fishers; Murray Collins, Dan Margetts, and David Bond on the tuna tagging programme, and most recently with Dr Bryce Stewart and Dr Simon Thomas on pollack data gathering. I would welcome the Minister’s support in expanding fishery science partnerships to fill the knowledge gaps and secure robust data for all of our commercial stocks.

I support a transition away from damaging practices, alongside advancements in vessel safety and technology. Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) offers a cost-effective way to improve transparency, sustainability, and data integrity while creating jobs. Better data means better management, which benefits everyone.

Fishing is central to the jobs, culture, and identity of South East Cornwall, a region grappling with low income. Our fishers are ready to play their part in regenerating our seas, but they need a fair deal that respects their knowledge, safeguards their livelihoods, and protects the marine environment.

I am proud to see this Government working with our fishers, and I urge the Minister to continue working closely with fishers, scientists, and all involved to secure a just and sustainable future for our seas."

Indomitable UK fishing spirit - at sea, fishing to feed the nation

While the rest of the country takes on board and begins to comes to terms with the need to stay at home, practice social distancing and isolation our fishermen all around the coast are doing the same - only for them it's what they do every day - at sea, miles, sometimes hundreds, from home, out of sight and mind, whether singlehanded or in a crew of six fishermen have learned to spend most of their working lives under such circumstance. 

This time it's different. Skippers sailed this morning, prepared to do full trips, committing themselves to thousands of pounds of expenses to catch fish without being certain that when they land there will be sufficient demand for them to even pay the expenses for the trip.  The biggest of these vessels in the south west might burn up to £6000 worth of fuel per day, just one of the many bills to be paid before the crew see a wage.

One such boat is the Julie of Ladram, which sailed from Brixham this morning.

First mate Mike Smith aka Sprat had a few words for followers of Through the Gaps...

and its easy enough to follow the boats on any AIS app so the boats have promised to keep us posted on how the trips are going and what news they are getting from ashore re the effects COVID19 is having on their fish markets...

the Julie is not the only boat out there with huge overheads, right now David Stevens has the Crystal Sea...

away south of Newlyn trying to target the kind of fish UK consumers enjoy - like haddock but they will also be catching monk, lemon sole and other fish that UK consumers need to enjoy!

here is skipper David's haul now boxed and iced away in the fishroom!

This Fishing Life on BBC2 in the New Year!

Starting in the first week of the New Year - six one hour programmes on BBC 2 documenting the lives of fishing communities around Cornwall.

Filming began in fishing communities across Cornwall last March and continued until December.

Whilst other fishing communities are feeling the pinch, Mevagissey on Cornwall’s south coast bucks the trend, with 74 working boats in the harbour.

Protected from the prevailing winds, with fish stocks that are beginning to return, and with boats being handed down from father to son. Meva is blessed.

Fishing is in the blood here - for more than 250 years the men of Meva have followed their fathers to sea, eager to honour the family traditions. Now the next generation of ambitious young skippers are ready to make a go of it.

Jack West fished with his dad growing up, and the family have decided the time is right to invest in Jack. Having spent thousands on the Anne Louise, the pressure is on to get out to sea and start earning some money.

The Galwady Mor is owned by one of Mevagissey’s most successful fishing families, the Blameys.

27-year-old Chris is the 4th generation to go to sea. This year he takes over the responsibility of skippering the Galwady from his father Peter. The passing down of a lifetime’s knowledge is priceless, but Chris knows he will face different challenges to his dad. Whilst fish stocks are returning to Meva, there is not the abundance there once was.

Mevagissey is a village built on fish - pilchards in particular. Once, everyone was after them. Now tourism is the main industry. The village is dominated by second homes and holiday lets, and the place is all but empty in winter.

One of the impacts has been on crew. With local housing pricing young men out, and a steady income – not something associated with fishing - needed to get a mortgage, there aren’t the young men lining up on the quay any more.

Valhalla taking ice in Newlyn

Dave Warwick on the Valhalla is one of the skippers looking for crew, and has to take the risk of skippering his boat solo until he can find some. He is limited to working the well-fished inshore waters until he can find men made of the right stuff.

Meanwhile, Malcolm Saunders is winding down after a long career at sea. Malcolm grew up when fish stocks were plentiful and he got his fill – and made a lot of money. But with the toll a lifetime away at sea took on his family, he is not sure he made the right decisions, and wonders whether the next generation of skippers will learn from his mistakes.

Episode 1 Cornwall: This Fishing Life Series 1 Episode 1 of 6

Portafino, Italy - where tiny fishing boats share moorings with super-yachts.

When the port you want to visit is so exclusive that there is no public parking there's only one way in - take the boat...

on the way, buildings old and new hug what little sea-level land is available neath the 1000ft Ligurian hills...

harbours, quays and moorings have been created using every inch of shore for the huge number of leaisure boats...

which increase in size the closer to the resort made famous by the super rich, actors, artists and film stars starting in the 50s when the likes of Rex Harrison became a resident there...

on approach, the port itself seems hidden from the outside world...

but as you draw closer there are a few clues as to its status in the 'must visit by luxury yacht'...

before the natural harbour begins to open up...

and the classic Italian architecture sets an almost magical scene...

amongst the dozens of moored leisure craft are old and new examples of the traditional double-ended boats found all the way along the Mediterranean coast...

along with a handful of fishing vessels...

the narrow quayside is home to a number of fishermen's stores...

for the small fleet...

which includes a handful sporting the traditional hull design...

on moorings...

the boats work a variety of lines and nets...

and, as it's the Med, the mesh sizes are small...

along with pots used to catch octopus...

there may even have been a Cornish miner responsible for this fishermen's store carved out of the rock - many of the railways and funicular railway projects in Italy were run by Cornish engineers, notably Robert Trewella from Ludgvan...

the setting might be idyllic...

but today's catch has been limited by time with only 1000 hooks shot as an impending late blow in the day caused the skipper to fish closer to the shore than he would normally have liked.....

 for a few squid...

and bream, some of today's salted anchovies bait remained unused.........

but every fish was stunning in appearance so hopefully, given the exclusive nature of many restaurants and hotels here the prices for the guys are high enough to compensate for the slack fishing...

asking what other bait was used produced a surprising response - frozen mackerel from that ship, the Cornelius Vrolijk that is entitled to 23% (by weight) of the entire UK fish quota...

at the end of the day with the light fading...

there was just enough time to make a quick oil sketch of the fabled fishing port...

that continues to draw so many visitors...

though even those with bottomless pockets, though they might have multi-million pound boats...

like the Lucky Lady, ROE and Phoenix 2 are every bit as limited as visiting motorists are with quayside mooring berths at a premium...

as can be seen in the wake of the visit...

where yet another yacht, Tranquility has dropped anchor a few leagues off the fabled resort. Boats this size are nearing 1 million a week to charter.

The world is your oyster

It would seem that recruiting young people to vocations that requires tolerance of long or unsociable hours, uncomfortable or challenging physical and environmental conditions, tolerance of what mother nature might throw our way or repetitive tasks i s fast becoming the number one challenge in modern Britain. Seafish's report provides some pretty uncomfortable reading for those who need to recruit staff from their local communities.

For many years, agriculture in particular has in the UK has relied heavily on seasonal workers from out of area or abroad - now the fishing industry seems to have followed suit. It has not gone unnoticed that many UK fishing vessels and fish processing plants are now heavily dependent on workers from abroad.

While this may suit individual business owners there may be consequences in the mid to long term with regard to recruitment for those skilled roles requiring consistency and continuity of service and supply - ie skippers, mates, engineers, production managers and managers from local communities.

Signs that this is more than a temporary hiccup have been acknowledged at the very highest level of government are in that next month will see the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fishing hold the first of its meetings to discuss the issue at a national level.

Here's Seafish CEO, Marcus Coleman and his monthly catch-up talking about this very issue!

Seafish maintain a comprehensive section for apprenticeships for every aspect of the fishing industry on their website.

These issues are not unique to the UK of course - take a look at the current campaign in France on the same subject New Horizons - (hint - use Translate) - seems those pesky grenouilles are one step ahead of the UK again!

Gathering Fishery-Dependent Data in the Digital Age

There's plenty of initiatives both in the EU and across the pond in the US to further develop the integration of digital technology in order to collect, track and store catch data. Much of this work is being driven by the need for quota management accountability and stock assessment. Increasingly, fishermen are aware that the more data they have the more power and therefore potential control they have over the fisheries they target.  Arguing your case with nothing but anecdotal catch evidence together with landing data will not appease or meet the scrutiny of those who would have the industry held to account over over-fishing.




A guide for managers and scientists:

Why this guide?


Every day, more people are bringing digital data collection tools onboard fishing boats, from personal mobile phones to systems of integrated cameras and gear sensors. For managers, scientists, fishers, and anyone involved in ocean conservation, this presents opportunities to bring faster, more accurate data into management. This guide is to help you think through which tools might make sense for your fishery, and what questions to ask before adopting them.






Fisheries Innovation Fund

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), commercial and recreational fisheries had combined sales impacts of over $208 billion in the United States in 2015. However, some U.S. fisheries are struggling, both biologically and economically. As of 2017, NOAA reported that 35 stocks are categorized as overfished and 30 are categorized as subject to overfishing.

The Fisheries Innovation Fund releases two requests for proposals (RFPs) each year to work towards sustainable fisheries in the United States: a Fisheries Innovation Fund RFP and an Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Grant Program RFP.

Fisheries Innovation Fund RFP

NFWF launched the Fisheries Innovation Fund in 2010 to foster innovation in fisheries and seafood production in order to sustain livelihoods, working waterfronts and sustainable access to fisheries while rebuilding fish stocks. The fund supports the participation of fishermen and their communities in securing sustainable fisheries in the United States.

Fisheries Innovation Fund funding priorities include bycatch reduction, recreational fisheries and offshore aquaculture including activities to build community capacity and encourage sustainable use practices. Most projects have originated locally to address needs, challenges and opportunities at the community level.

Electronic Monitoring and Reporting RFP

The Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Grant Program was launched in 2015. The program seeks to advance NOAA’s sustainable fisheries goals to partner with fishermen, stakeholders, state agencies and Fishery Information Networks to systematically integrate technology into fisheries data collection and observations, and streamline data management and use for fisheries management. The program aims to improve the quality, quantity, and timeliness of fisheries-dependent data. Projects awarded under this opportunity catalyze the implementation of electronic technologies for catch and compliance monitoring, and improvements to fishery information systems.

To date, the Fisheries Innovation Fund has awarded grants totaling over $20.3 million to 127 projects across 26 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These awards have been matched by over $22.5 million dollars from the grantees, for a total conservation impact of $42.8 million.

Major funding for the Fisheries Innovation Fund is provided by NOAA, the Walton Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Kingfisher Foundation. Mitigation funds received through NFWF's Recovered Oil Fund for Wildlife have also contributed to the program, with grantee organizations and additional public and private funders providing matching funds.



Monitoring

New Report Shows Ending EU Overfishing and Protection of Privacy Achievable With Remote Electronic MonitoringBrussels, March 7, 2019:- A report published today, Legal Opinion on Video Monitoring on Fishing Vessels with Special Focus on Other Comparable Cases, shows that the use of video monitoring, or Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM), can be used on board EU fishing vessels to ensure proper catch reporting, and to end illegal discarding of fish under the EU’s Landing Obligation, without impinging on privacy, or contradicting data protection rules.

The report, commissioned by Our Fish, demonstrates that while there are justifiable concerns around REM, these are not reason for inaction. Other sectors, such as the meat industry, are dealing with the same challenges, showing that it is possible to have effective monitoring while conforming to data protection requirements.

“Protecting privacy while ending the wasteful practice of discarding dead and dying fish at sea can be achieved by using video monitoring on board fishing vessels”, said Rebecca Hubbard, Program Director of Our Fish.

The EU’s ban on discarding dead or dying fish back into the sea, known as the Landing Obligation (LO), was part of the 2013 reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, and strongly supported by EU citizens. The aim of the Landing Obligation is to end discarding and drive change in fishing practices, e.g. avoid catching unwanted and non-valuable fish, incentivise improvements in selectivity, count everything that is caught, and promote ecosystem-based management.

However five years on, the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) has assessed that a majority of fishing activities using active gears, e.g. trawling, are still at risk of discarding, along with increased illegal and unreported fishing. In response, the European Commission is proposing to use a review of its Control Regulation to introduce Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) [1]; however concerns have been raised over privacy and data protection.

“This legal analysis demonstrates that privacy and data protection are not barriers to video monitoring of fishing. Programming and video technology can avoid impinging on privacy and personal data, vessel operators can own the footage, and governments and scientists can utilise the data to audit records allowing for greater knowledge of catches, fish stocks, and ultimately achieve better fisheries management”, continued Hubbard.

“It is essential that EU decision-makers take a solutions-based approach to implementing onboard video monitoring, so that we put an end to widespread illegal, unreported fishing, which undermines ocean health, consumer trust and the industry”, said Hubbard.

For video monitoring on board fishing vessels to comply with the Landing Obligation and to fully document fisheries, Legal Opinion on Video Monitoring on Fishing Vessels with Special Focus on Other Comparable Cases suggests that legislators and operators should consider:

CCTV surveillance of risk groups: When there is cause to suspect non-compliance with legal requirements, temporary monitoring of the fishing activities would be appropriate.

• Avoiding personal data: Monitoring only the technical process without making individuals identifiable. This would also mean the GDPR would not apply [2].
• Anonymisation: Monitoring the entire process and pixelating any recorded persons in such a way that identification is not possible.
• Data minimisation: Limit the video monitoring to a minimum time i.e during landing, sorting and processing the catch.
• Data ownership and review: Vessel operators may be the owners of the footage, the review conducted by a third party, and the resulting data provided to governments for auditing purposes of catches and landings. 

This audited data could also be shared with other interested or relevant parties such as scientists.


NOTES:

[1] Control Regulation: https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/control_en

[2] Since May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) covers data protection and privacy for all individuals in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA), and covers the transfer of personal data outside the EU and EEA. It gives control of data to individuals while simplifying the legislative framework for data managers.

Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data. 

Contacts

Dave Walsh, Our Fish Communications Advisor, dave@our.fish +34 691826764

Rebecca Hubbard, Our Fish Program Director, rebecca@our.fish +34 657669425

About Our Fish

Our Fish works to ensure European member states implement the Common Fisheries Policy and achieve sustainable fish stocks in European waters.

Our Fish works with organisations and individuals across Europe to deliver a powerful and unwavering message: overfishing must be stopped, and solutions put in place that ensure Europe’s waters are fished sustainably. Our Fish demands that the Common Fisheries Policy be properly enforced, and Europe’s fisheries effectively governed.

Our Fish calls on all EU Member States to set annual fishing limits at sustainable limits based on scientific advice, and to ensure that their fishing fleets prove that they are fishing sustainably, through monitoring and full documentation of their catch.

Website: https://our.fish

Follow Our Fish on Twitter: @our_fish

Next up:

Adding to the mix on tech in the fishing industry - just yesterday at the World Congress Summit in Dubai EDF launched its Smart Boat Initiative:

New initiative to harness digital revolution to accelerate sustainable networked fisheries

(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – March 6, 2019) Today at the World Ocean Summit being held in Abu Dhabi, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced the launch of its Smart Boat Initiative designed to accelerate the exploration and adoption of powerful new technologies to greatly improve sustainability, efficiency and profitability in the fishing sector across the globe.

The new initiative focuses on leveraging the technological advances and plummeting costs in sensors, artificial intelligence, broadband communication and data analytics to equip and surround fishing vessels of all sizes with digital tools and infrastructure that can increase sustainability, accountability and transparency in fishing.

“Just as smart phones provided a platform for a wave of innovation, we believe there is an equally unprecedented opportunity to usher in a new era of sustainability in the global fishing sector led by digital transformation,” said Katie McGinty, Senior Vice President, EDF Oceans program.

The Smart Boat Initiative builds on important work being done by a variety of other NGOs, academic institutions, businesses and governments all focused on deploying technology in the service of sustainability. EDF’s goal is to work with these stakeholders and fishermen to demonstrate the transformative power of technology with on-the-water pilot projects, scientific inquiries and policy advances across a variety of fishery types and scales.

As part of the Smart Boat Initiative, EDF Oceans released a new report on the significant opportunities of using advanced technologies to help fisheries and fishing businesses, two new guides on how to implement electronic monitoring technology, as well as the results from recent pilot projects on the U.S. West Coast and in Mexico’s Gulf of California.

With this initiative, EDF aims to address the critical problem of fishing vessels and fleets remaining isolated and disconnected when at sea. This means accurate and timely data about what is being caught and discarded rarely reaches scientists and managers. Even on vessels with human observers or new electronic monitoring systems, data can take weeks or even months to reach the end user. Meanwhile, fishermen at sea lack access to oceanographic, market and other real-time data that could inform their choices about where and how to fish.

These problems can be addressed through a combination of existing technologies that can be deployed on fishing vessels – and around them – at a variety of scales. For example, cameras on fishing vessels can be linked to pneumatic sensors and triggered only when fishing activity occurs. These data can then be highly compressed and transmitted wirelessly through broadband satellite or near-shore wireless data services. Artificial intelligence can also recognize species and help track catch. Scientists can access these data in near real time and make far better decisions about fishery health than ever before. And fishermen will have better access to supply chains and better information out at sea.

“This new initiative seeks to deploy technology to help solve one of the most urgent challenges of our time, overfishing,” said McGinty. “A critical element of the initiative is that it aims to provide fishermen with the tools to play a leading role in solving that problem.”

Even in countries with advanced management like the U.S., fishery monitoring is conducted with outdated systems, often a human observer using pen and paper. In countries with a higher proportion of small-scale fisheries, the data information gap is even more acute. As a part of the Smart Boat Initiative, EDF is bringing together learnings from pilot programs in both commercial and artisanal fisheries that put cameras and telecommunications technology on vessels in order to track and record information to inform policy, science and management.

“In far too many fisheries, a lack of timely data frustrates even the best of intentions,” said Project Director Johanna Thomas. “But most fishermen want access to more powerful tools to take control of their futures and work together to deliver both business and conservation outcomes.”

EDF is also releasing two new guides on electronic monitoring focused on a wide variety of fishing scenarios from near-shore small-scale fisheries to larger fleets. These guides will provide insights to help develop best-in-class standards. They are designed to provide information on how best to use and scale these technologies in ways that can inform good science, work financially for fishermen and governments and produce positive conservation outcomes for fisheries.

“We believe this set of technologies represents widespread benefits, not only for future conservation, but also for fishermen today,” said McGinty. “But without more work to refine these technologies, build them with fishermen’s needs in mind, increase deployment and share best practices, fisheries will remain stuck in the digital dark ages. That’s why we’ve launched the Smart Boat Initiative and why we’re optimistic about the future health of the ocean and all those who depend on it.”

Guilvinec: meeting the last of the wolves

The feeling of freedom and excitement that it provides no longer weigh enough face the risks and hardness of the job. The number of fishermen is constantly decreasing.

In Guilvinec, the second largest fishing port in France, trawler crews are half as many as 30 years ago. Julien with his trawler, and John with his artisanal fishing boat are an exception. They have embarked in recent years and have found their balance. Our reporters followed them.

This video excerpt is from the replay of Sept à Huit life, a weekly news and feature broadcast broadcast on TF1 and presented by Harry Roselmack.

The future of inshore fishing in Cornwall

The inshore fishing sector in Cornwall is integral to the county’s cultural and social fabric, with many smaller rural communities dependent on its continuation. 

It is also critical to the tourist industry, which generates 25% of the county’s GDP, whereby the presence of an active fishing industry is an important part of the tourism appeal of Cornish coastal towns. Almost 90% of the more than 600 fishing vessels registered in Cornwall can be classified as being part of the inshore sector. However, the future of the inshore sector is under threat in a number of ways, including: access to quota; access to fishing grounds; access to markets; rising costs; stagnant market prices; and a rising average age of fishers coupled with problems of generational succession.

This brief has been developed from research conducted as part of the H2020-funded project, Sufisa. Its main focus has been to access the perspectives of the fishers themselves, together with a range of stakeholders which have a direct interest in the inshore fishing sector in Cornwall. To that end a series of interviews, focus groups and workshops were conducted between March 2016 and May 2018.

Further details are available from http://www.ccri.ac.uk/, as well as the main project website: http://www.sufisa.eu/.

This research is based on work done in Cornwall, but is likely to resonate in other areas of the UK that have an inshore fishing sector. It comes at a crucial time in relation to the ongoing Brexit negotiations. The following key messages are intended to draw attention to the main issues that have arisen from the research and which have potential policy implications for the future viability of the inshore fishing sector in Cornwall.

Key messages

• The ‘voice’ of inshore fishers is insufficiently heard, not least because neither Fishing for Leave nor the Cornwall Fish ProducersOrganisation do this sufficiently well. In this respect, there is hopethat the recently formed Coastal Producers Organisation will help.

• The definition of an ‘inshore fishing sector’ is insufficiently precise and in need of refinement if policy is to be better targeted to the needs of this sector. ‘One size does not fit all’ and there is a need for moreappropriate, locally developed bottom-up policy and regulation.

Any redefinition should encompass geographical distance travelled by the boats, the size of the boat and the types of gear used. This policy brief is the result of research conducted as part of the EC-funded SUFISA project (Sustainable finance for sustainable agriculture and fisheries), H2020 Grant Agreement 635577. 

• It is important in policy terms to be clear as to the purpose of the inshore sector (howsoever defined). Is it about catching fish or preserving a way of life; making a meaningful contribution to food and nutrition security, or simply providing a luxury product; or is it primarily in terms of its socio-economic contribution to rural communities, including directly preserving / creating jobs in the fishing industry or in supporting the tourist offer?

• The inshore fishing sector is marginal in economic terms, but critical to the wider economy in Cornwall, especially tourism, as well as to the social fabric of many of the communities involved. It is worth considering a ‘Social Return on Investment’ analysis of the inshore fishing sector in Cornwall. This would provide a clearer idea as to the wider benefits of the sector, expressed in monetary terms.

• The inshore sector is desperate for more quota and there are concerns about the introduction of licence capping. The fishers are hoping that more quota will be available post-Brexit, and that they will end up getting more quota allocated to them.

• A key policy challenge is how to deal with the monetisation of quota. One option is for the UK Government to buy back quota and to allocate it to fishers as they see fit. This would allow for a more policy-targeted approach to be taken to quota allocation.

• The fisheries sector as a whole is very small in terms of its contribution to the overall GDP of the UK, with the inshore sector only contributing a very small percentage of that. As such, there are concerns that it may be used as a bargaining chip in the wider Brexit negotiations and effectively become marginalised.

• Concern about the potential loss of EU markets following Brexit. Related to this, there is recognition that fishers need to become more entrepreneurial in terms of how they market their catch, and that perhaps there is a need to support this through both policy and monetary support. It is no longer sufficient for fishers to simply catch fish and sell it harbour-side, they need to develop ways to add value to their catch if they are to remain economically viable.

• The timescale involved for completing the negotiations resulting from Brexit could be as long as 10 years. Due to the ever-increasing average age of inshore fishers, it is important to consider how best to manage this transition period to help ensure intergenerational succession and the long-term viability of the U10m sector.

• If change / support along the lines articulated above is not addressed, the research suggests that the future of the inshore fishing sector in Cornwall looks challenging, especially after the current generation of fishers die off or retire. Although existing fishers are inherently highly resilient, fishing as a vocation / job has much less appeal these days, as well as providing fewer opportunities than it did a generation ago for anyone wanting to enter the sector.

Responsibility for the information and views set out in this report lies entirely with the authors.

James Kirwan, Damian Maye, Hannah Chiswell, Dilshaad Bundhoo & Mauro Vigani

Francis Close Hall
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL50 4AZ

T: +44(0)1242 714 122 ccri@glos.ac.uk

Landing Obligation and other crucial EU fishing regulation debate.

Industry representatives and researchers give evidence on EU fisheries regulations

The EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee asks fisheries researchers and representatives of the fishing industry for their views on the implementation and enforcement of the EU landing obligation.

• Parliament TV: Implementation and enforcement of the EU landing obligation
• Inquiry: Implementation and enforcement of the EU landing obligation
• EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee

Witnesses

Wednesday 28 November in Committee Room 2, Palace of Westminster

At 10.15am

• Hazel Curtis, Chief Economist, Seafish
• Dr Tom Catchpole, Principle Fisheries Advisor, Cefas

At 11.15am

• Barrie Deas, Chief Executive, The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations
• Mike Park OBE, Chief Executive, Scottish White Fish Producers Association Limited

Background

The EU landing obligation seeks to gradually eliminate discarding (throwing unwanted fish back into the sea) by requiring all catches of specified types of fish to be landed. It has been implemented in stages, beginning in 2015; by 1 January 2019 it will apply to all fish stocks for which the EU sets a Total Allowable Catch.

Implementation presents challenges, particularly in relation to 'choke species'. These are species with a low volume of quota, that when reached will cause fishing operations to halt, even if quota is still available for other species, because fishermen will no longer be able to discard fish they catch over-quota. How enforcement agencies will monitor compliance with the landing obligation is another challenge that will need to be addressed.

Likely areas of discussion

• The scale of the problem 'choke species' is likely to pose.
• Whether changing fishing methods, or swapping quota with others, can alleviate this challenge.
• How enforcement agencies can best monitor compliance.
• Whether the landing obligation could result in increased levels of illegal discarding.
• What the UK could learn from other countries.

There will be a post to the live broadcast on Through the Gaps at 10:15am tomorrow - put it in your diary!