Dutch Fishermen proud of MSC certification

Photo courtesy of Fishing News

AMSTERDAM - There is increasing MSC plaice on the market, and consumers should be encouraged more plaice on the table. Last Monday were in Amsterdam plaice and sole fishermen twinrig, flyshoot and outrigger put in the spotlight in front of the culinary press. In December earned the Cooperative Fisheries Organization (CVO) the MSC certificate. The counter stands at forty participating vessels. For MSC plaice are fishing season from 1 March to 15 December.

William Pike (on behalf of the SC 35 and SC 45) and skipper Simon Breed flyshooter SCH 65 Monday in Amsterdam were present to the MSC certificate to receive from the hands of Nathalie Steins MSC. "We have collectively more than two years on the certification work and now the result is there. That is something we can all be proud,'' said Pike. During the press conference presented Cees Kramer chef of Restaurant De Boet from Urk variation and cooking possibilities with plaice. 

To consumers to encourage more often plaice on the table starts the Fish Marketing Board in May an advertising campaign in the women's magazines and gives them a recipe from plaice.

Fish2Fork says eat those commercially fished dredged scallops

When celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall donned scuba diving gear for his recent Fish Fight broadcast and inspected the seabed where a scallop dredger had just fished, he declared in shocked tones that all that was left was “desert”. 

His coverage prompted ire among not just scallop fishermen but the wider fishing community, and provoked a host of vitriolic comments on websites such as The Real Fish Fight. But both the programme and the reaction from the fishing industry left unresolved the question of how sustainable dredged scallops are and how extensive the scallop dredging is. 

 On the face of it, scallop dredging is a destructive form of fishing that tears up the seabed and leaves little else able to thrive apart from the scallops themselves. Physically, the dredges have metal ‘teeth’ that tear into the seabed and rip up anything in their path as they are pulled by a boat. Such destructiveness is regarded by some chefs, scientists and environmental campaigners as an unacceptable price to pay for scallops, which in the UK are either king or queen scallops. 

 However, there are many other factors that also need to be taken into account, such as what sort of ground is being dredged. Storm and tide-tossed sands, for example, make a good habitat for scallops and the other creatures found there are adapted to disturbance. 

The Marine Conservation Society is currently reviewing its advice on scallops but in the absence of this guidance, Fish2fork believes that they can continue to be put on menus.

Latest animation seeks to explain the discard debacle

Every year in the EU, 1.7 million tonnes of fish are thrown back into the sea after being caught. This wasteful practice is widely criticised and negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament over the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) are seeking to address the problem. This video explores the reasons for discards in the EU, their implications and the current efforts to end the practice.

This video can be viewed on the IIEA website:http://www.iiea.com/blogosphere/video...

It forms part of The Environment Nexus -- your digital ecosystem.
http://www.iiea.com/environmentnexus

Do we believe this?

No more Fish in the Sea infographic by GOOD.

NFFO Slams Greenpeace For Failing To Act on Real Issues Affecting UK Fishermen

Fishing Industry Body Calls Latest Claims 'Unqualified, Assumption-Based Nonsense'

The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) has slammed claims by international environmental giant Greenpeace as 'unqualified, assumption-based nonsense' which are causing distraction from the industry's critical work on issues affecting the future livelihoods of UK fishermen.

The Federation, which represents fishermen's groups, individual fishermen and producer organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said that despite repeated, public invitations Greenpeace has failed to accept its offer to meet and discuss issues or qualify any of its claims, instead opting for a sensationalist media approach which does little to support the real interest of the industry.

Barrie Deas, Chief Executive of the NFFO, said: "Greenpeace are set on creating a sensationalist media storm fuelled by inaccuracies and gross generalisation. This is wasting valuable time and effort better spent dealing with some of the critical issues at hand, including the impact of the CFP reform, under-10s and long term management plans.

"The NFFO has now repeatedly exposed Greenpeace's generalisations and misrepresentations on how the industry works which ultimately only serves to undermine their reputation in the sector. They have yet to approach us direct with any of their assertions and our repeated efforts to meet with them to look at more credible and effective solutions for supporting our fishermen have been ignored. As such it calls into question their real motives."

"Once again we extend our offer to meet with Greenpeace to help put to bed any other inaccurate assumptions they decide to make about our membership."

Greenpeace's most recent attack on the industry body centres around allegations against Anglo-Spanish members of the Fleetwood Fish Producer's Organisation, who it claims are taking quota away from UK vessels. Greenpeace has omitted to point out that local fishermen invited the Anglo-Spanish vessels to join their organisation and that the UK quota under which the Anglo-Spanish vessels operate are based on historical records generated by the Anglo-Spanish vessels themselves, before the quota was allocated to the UK.

Last year the Fleetwood Fish Producer's Organisation contributed £600,000 worth of quota to meet its economic link obligations, which was in the main used for the benefit of under-10 meter fisheries. Also the Anglo Spanish vessels fish entirely different species in completely different areas and are therefore not in competition for quota with local fishermen.

Early in the month Greenpeace was exposed for making false claims around NFFO subscription fees being dominated by non-UK vessels. In previous statements, the NFFO has also criticised the environmental giant's false allegations against membership structure, making clear its membership reflects the diversity of the UK fleet. Just 8% of its member vessels are owned outside the UK.

As part of its commitment to ensuring the fair distribution of quotas, the NFFO shares the view of the Marine Management Organisation that the UK fishing industry is highly compliant with the rules under which it is obliged to operate. It has said any individual vessel operator, irrespective of home port, operating outside these rules it can expect to face the full legal penalties. It has also supported calls for the publication of a register of UK quota to help promote a fairer and more transparent quota system.

Additionally, in the interests of transparency, the Federation has released a breakdown of its membership base in response to Greenpeace's requests and has publically asked Greenpeace to meet to address any issues that they might with to raise on a number of occasions.

For more information about the NFFO or to read the Federation's official responses to Greenpeace's previous allegations visit www.nffo.org.uk

NGO: Transshipping facilitates ‘fish laundering’

Evidence has been uncovered revealing the transshipment of fish at sea and illegal fishing, which together bring illegally-caught products into the EU marketplace, said the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).

Ineffective monitoring means that consignments of transshipped fish regularly enter the EU marketplace, said the NGO
.

The opportunity for fish ‘laundering’ to take place without detection means that fish stolen by pirate fishers from some of the poorest coastal communities in the world is being authorized by the EU to enter the European marketplace.

Global losses due to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing are estimated to be between $10 billion and $23.5 billion every year, it said.

West African waters are deemed to have the highest levels of IUU fishing in the world, representing up to 37% of the region’s catch. Along with the economic losses, pirate fishing in West Africa severely compromises food security and the livelihoods of coastal communities, the health of fish stocks and the marine environment, said EJF.

EJF says it has gathered evidence that the transshipment of fish from one vessel to another frequently facilitates the laundering of illegally-caught fish, due to the inability of coastal and flag state authorities to monitor how, by whom and where transferred fish was caught.

“The complications involved in monitoring large-scale transfers of fish at sea mean that any transshipment of fish from one vessel to another can currently obscure illegal activities,” said Steve Trent, executive director of EJF.

“Transshipment adds to the opacity in global fisheries that enables pirate fishers to operate in the shadows, far from supervision and regulation.”

“Fish is being caught illegally in the waters of West Africa, transshipped at sea and ‘laundered’ under a legal vessel’s paperwork to end up on our plates in Europe. Pirate fishing is devastating coastal communities in West Africa, where they have the highest levels of illegal fishing in the world. We simply cannot allow their food security to continue to be compromised whilst their fish enters the European marketplace.”

The NGO called for a ban of transshipment at sea, citing the difficulties in managing the activity as a key reason for illegally-caught fish being able to reach EU marketplaces.

EJF has released a briefing on transshipment at sea and why it ought to be banned, which can befound at its website.

Initiative to educate thousands of school pupils on benefits of seafood

Seafish to support British Nutrition Foundation's first-ever Healthy Eating Week with an engaging programme of activities for schools and nurseries

Seafish (the UK authority on seafood) is supporting the British Nutrition Foundation's (BNF) first-ever Healthy Eating Week (3 to 7 June 2013) to educate children and young people on the benefits of eating seafood and help address the lack of a formal framework for nutrition education within schools.

The initiative will help Seafish to reach hundreds of thousands of children and young people of all ages across the UK. Over 1,650 schools, representing some 770,000 children, have already registered to take part in the week and BNF expects this number to keep growing.

Speaking about their involvement Karen Galloway, Head of Marketing at Seafish said: "The British Nutrition Foundation's Healthy Eating Week is a fantastic initiative which has already secured some impressive results, and we are proud to be involved.

"It is absolutely vital that children and young people understand the importance of seafood as part of a healthy balanced diet, and by supporting the week we will be helping hundreds of thousands of children across the UK to do just that."

"Research has shown that many people are not getting enough of some of the essential nutrients that seafood provides - this is one of the reasons why educating consumers to help them make informed seafood choices is a key priority for Seafish."

Roy Ballam, Education Programme Manager at BNF added: "We are delighted that Seafish is supporting Healthy Eating Week, helping to promote good messages about diet and health to children throughout the UK. The collaboration seeks to engage children of all ages with food and nutrition. For example, there will be opportunities to learn about the nutrients provided by fish, investigate where fish comes from and cook some delicious seafood dishes."

In addition to their support for Healthy Eating Week and the information, tips and recipes they publish via the FishistheDish website, Seafish is delivering a number of fun and engaging educational initiatives for family members of all ages. This includes the Healthy Happy Hearts programme, which highlights the importance of the Omega-3 fatty acids for good heart health.

Seafish have also been working with the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) to increase the seafood presence on their teaching website, Food a Fact of Life. As part of this activity, the BNF featured a seafood poster on their website and in their Education Bulletin for March - this reached over 7,000 teachers. It was also as a key part of their conference materials in 2013.

Schools can join Healthy Eating Week for free at: www.healthyeatingweek.org.uk   

For the latest Seafish educational information for consumers visitwww.fishisthedish.co.uk