Common Fisheries Policy is 'broken'

The Common Fisheries Policy has "failed in its objectives" of creating a sustainable European fishery, with the deterioration of fish stocks and the fishing fleet, Labour MP Frank Doran says.

Brussels and the EU have repeatedly failed to address the issue of discards.

The MP for Aberdeen North told the House of Commons the system was "broken in several places" with "short term" decision-making in Brussels resorting to a "one size fits all culture". Fish discards, he said, was an issue high on the agenda, with strong opposition to the principle of good, saleable fish being thrown back into the sea. He said: "It's offensive to most of us, it's wasteful, it affects the viability and sustainability of fish stocks and it distorts the science and scientific advice. It also deeply affects our fishermen who are forced to throw perfectly good fish back in the sea to rot."

The current CFP review by the European Commission, he said, gave Britain an opportunity to argue for a much more radical change, one that "recognises the past failures of a system and puts in place a CFP which is fit for purpose in the 21st century". The backbench motion urges the Government to ensure a revised CFP makes provision for a move away from a centralised management system to a system of regional management of fisheries. It also calls for a manageable and practical scheme to eliminate the problem of discarded fish and the replacement of the current system of annual quotas with a multi-annual system of management focused on conserving fish stocks within a sustainable fishing industry.

Chairman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee Anne McIntosh said the current "direction of travel" of the European negotiations was "very positive indeed", but it was important to ensure both northern and southern member states supported proposals.

Labour Eurosceptic Kelvin Hopkins, MP for Luton North, said the UK should threaten to withdraw from the CFP. He said: "The only effective solution is actually to seek the abolition of the CFP and return fisheries to member states. All talk of reform at this stage is mere tinkering at the margins."

Lerwick - to the far North.

Spotted at her home port of Lerwick in the Shetlands, the pelagic ship Research.........

with the initials of the owners clearly visible on the bow.

A grey start to the week with an easterly draft.

 A run of good quality plaice, monk amd megrims on the market this morning.....

 along with a smattering of line caught gold and silver......

 and these bass with koi-like markings........

 neap tides mean it's sailing time for for the netter Ajax......... 

 and the Golden Harvest as she takes ice......

 on watch over Vince and others.......

on a grey morning just after high water - with the wind in the east - Mevagissey men would say an easterly wind provides a fair wind home.

MSC gets brownie points from the WWF.

Fisheries engaged in the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) programme show clear improvements in environmental performance throughout the whole certification process, according to an independent study released last week. The study, Researching the Environmental Impacts of the MSC Certification Programme, is the first ever to examine fishery performance through the MSC assessment process. It focused on improvements in eight key outcome performance indicators: stock status; population reference points; stock recovery; retained species; bycatch species; endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species; habitats and environments. Improvements were noted from the initial fishery pre-assessments, through assessment and certification. Five years after certification, over 90 percent of the performance indicators measured were achieving high scores. 


 Good for the environment and good for fisheries 


 “This study shows that the MSC certification system works well, that it measures the performance of a fishery based on marine conservation indicators in the oceans, and that it values the feedback from stakeholders in this process,” said Alfred Schumm, Leader Smart Fishing Initiative, WWF’s global fisheries programme. “As such, I believe that the MSC certification system is outweighing other existing seafood certification systems currently on the market.” In addition to ensuring the robust process of each fishery undergoing certification, WWF wanted the study to measure the environmental impacts of the MSC standards in the oceans. The results showed that MSC is also the only seafood standard which can prove that certification is also good for the environment and not only for the fisheries. 


Healthy, well-managed and full of life 


 WWF has a vision for the world’s oceans: that they are healthy, well-managed and full of life, providing valuable resources for the welfare of humanity. In order to help achieve this vision WWF formed the Smart Fishing Global Initiative (SFI), that participates in certification programmes like the MSC to ensure that responsible management and trade of four key fishery populations results in recovering and resilient marine eco-systems, improved livelihoods for coastal communities and strengthened food security for the Planet.


Download Researching the Impacts of the MSC Certification Programme.

AIS spotting.

Research ship, Cefas Endeavour is in the middle of her Irish Sea Groundfish survey.......

while sou'west of her the Govenek of Ladram has just left the range of the AIS from VesselTracker as she steams westwards bound for the fishing grounds.

Remembrance Sunday.

Pro Patria

Newlyn

Breezy morning.

 Penzance's World War One memorial carries names on both sides of the plinth........

 and each year residents add their own tributes to the fallen.........

 round the corner their is evidence of others not quite so respectful of public works.......

 inside the wet dock the Scillonian III is in her winter quarters.......

 while outside the seas lash the lighthouse pier.......

 heralding a new round of discussion and consultation over the future of the port.......

which will hopefully see a more workable solution to the needs of harbour users.