European Artisanal Fishermen's Congress - 2012 - a declaration.

 

Just published on the back of the small-scale fishers conference in Brussels. It would be helpful and worthwhile knowing what groups and organisations are behind this?

 

Marai Damanaki had this to say:

 

Commissioner Maria Damanaki has met today with representatives of artisanal fishermen. The meeting followed the adoption of a common European Artisanal Fishermen’s Declaration last Sunday at the European Artisanal Fishermen Congress. The Declaration asks EU decision-makers to restore the health of our seas in Europe and the rest of the world, to bring the number of fishing vessels in line with available fish stocks, to end harmful subsidies and to grant the right to fish to those who fish sustainably.

Commissioner Damanaki welcomed the main points of the Declaration and emphasized the special socio-economic role artisanal fishermen play in the EU. She encouraged representatives of artisanal fishermen to have their voices heard in the decision-making process, in particular during the ongoing negotiations on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.



Blown in

Not the best looking weather chart for the boats working in the Western Approaches.

Top notch hake filled the western end of the market this morning, with the result of four days of graft for the boys aboard the Ajax who have had to endure some pretty the terrible weather which would have made just staying on their feet hard work...

they even landed a few boxes of scad...

the voracious fish that is the hake...

the cuttles are all over the ground at the moment for the beamers...

a group of keen culinary customers from Rick Stein's Seafood School get the benefit of Lionel's in-depth knowledge of the local fish being landed to the market, seeing here a big tub gurnard...

buying and selling power...

some of these marvellous monk tails may well be on the menu for the seafood school later...

not the best of mornings.

Does where your fish come from matter?

Perhaps storm 10 later

Here's the latest blog post from skipper Alan aboard the Ajax - sounds like they will be glad to get their feet ashore tonight after a tough few days of poor weather. Though doubtless the boys aboard the Govenek of Ladram and the Sparkling Line who are fishing alongside over 100 miles west of Land's End will wish they could swap places!


We glad to be on the way home today, we have had a few very poor days of
weather 6-8..9s at times most of the trip.

They are giving up to force 10 tonight for our fishing area and off Lands End by night time.

Gale warnings - Issued: 0340 UTC Wed 21 Nov

Southerly severe gale force 9 expected later

Shipping Forecast - Issued: 1130 UTC Wed 21 Nov

Wind

Southwest 5 or 6, backing south 7 to severe gale 9, perhaps storm 10 later.

Sea State

Rough or very rough.

Weather

Rain or squally showers.

Visibility

Good, occasionally poor.

The Sparkling Line arrived on the fishing grounds this morning and the Govenek of Ladram is hauling hake gear there today..

We have only been working half our nets this trip cause of weather and not wwanting to leave nets down to long , fishing has been ok really. We have 115bxs hake 23bxs Pollock 12bxs Saithe and 8 mixed fish on Newlyn market in the morning Thursday.....take care Alan

Pollack boards

News from the Ajax:

AjaxAH32 @Hookandlines we've got pollock boards on board this week, first trip we've used them....

An example of a Pollack board and the catch

Red mullet, just the pair

Two mullet of the rouge variety...

still plenty of those old cod being landed...

a nice little shot of herring sute to ake good money on an otherwise fish starved market owing to the poor weather which blew most of the boats home on Sunday evening...

not that a gale of wind would stop boats like the Billy Rowney...

buying power...

the Admiral Gordon back in Newlyn...

take the bait...

a single punt tries for a few bass as the sun begins to break out in Mount's Bay.

Campaign to save traditional coastal fishing hits Brussels

Westcountry fishermen have launched a manifesto to usher in "once-in-a-decade" reforms of European Union (EU) fishing law and preserve the region's traditional maritime heritage.

Small-scale operators, including two from Devon, joined forces with colleagues around Europe to demand a new fisheries policy that is fairer to coastal operators. ​ Plymouth fisherman Dave Cuthbert, right, during the European Artisanal Fishermen's Congress in Brussels.

The "unprecedented" gathering claimed there is no future for the industry while power remains concentrated in the hands of "often destructive" big fishing outfits. Steve Rodgers, from Seaton, and Dave Cuthbert, from Plymouth, visited Brussels as part of a UK delegation to the first European Artisanal Fishermen's Congress.

The congress was designed to influence ongoing reform of the regulations governing the industry: the EU Common Fisheries Policy. Mr Rodgers said there was "no future for our seas and fishing communities" if the system continued to put quotas, subsidies, and influence into the hands of a few, large-scale fishing operations. "The majority of UK fishermen, who are small-scale and tend to fish sustainably, are left with barely enough to scrape by," he added.

Despite making up over three quarters of the British fishing fleet, small-scale fishermen claim they only have access to 4% of the UK quota. The bulk of the allowance, they complain, is controlled by a handful of producers organisations, which tend to represent larger boats, as is the case in other EU countries.

The representatives of dozens of local and regional associations of artisanal fishermen, responsible for thousands of fishing sector jobs, adopted a joint declaration over the weekend. They asked for sustainable, artisanal and low-impact fishing to be put at the heart of the new laws. The declaration will this week be formally handed over to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council Presidency.

Jerry Percy of NUTFA, the national organisation representing hundreds of under-10 metre vessels in the UK, said: "Fishing is a way of life that small-scale fishermen have practised for generation after generation and it is threatened as never before. "While not being caused by artisanal fishermen, overfishing has had a disproportionate effect on their ability to survive. "If any boats need to stop fishing, it shouldn't be the small-scale British fishermen."

Mr Cuthbert, another NUTFA member and part of the delegation, added: "Our traditional style of fishing is part of the maritime heritage of coastal communities all along the Devon coast. "We've come to Brussels to make sure the new fisheries policy helps us preserve it"

Story courtesy of ThisisCornwall