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Sunday 28 April 2013

WWF: A Worrying Development

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is apparently considering withdrawing from the Regional Advisory Councils of which it is currently a member.

This is a worrying development for a number of reasons.

We have had our issues in the past with WWF, when its Brussels European office has overridden the good work of their field officers in the RACs to make ill informed pronouncements on TACS and quotas. But within the RACs, WWF has earned respect for its consistently positive, constructive and informed contribution. The high calibre of its field officers has allowed the organisation to carry much more influence in shaping RAC advice than its numbers would suggest.

As well as playing its role as an NGO in challenging the fishing industry to step up to the mark on sustainability, WWF has played an important role in defining RAC approaches to long-term management plans, regionalisation of the CFP, the significance of an ecosystem approach and marine spatial planning to name but a few. Without this considered input, RACS will be poorer, just at a time when their role is about to be enhanced under the CFP reform.

We have no knowledge of WWF’s funding or the internal politics that may lie behind the decision to withdraw from the RACS. But what has become apparent is that there is now a large body of environmental NGO lobbying activity that takes place away from the formal consultative bodies aimed directly at the Commission and the European Parliament, with the aspiration of shaping the CFP from the top down. We have previously observed the breathtaking sums of money channelled through charitable foundations to secure such outcomes.

It may be that WWF has concluded it is more cost-effective to lobby the Commission directly and to target MEPs, than it is to work collaboratively with the fishing industry and other stakeholders, via the RACs. What we do know from experience however is that the bodies which choose to work outside the collaborative, RAC framework tend to have top-down mindsets which generate an adversarial atmosphere. Greenpeace have never made any secret of their contempt for working cooperatively and are much happier flinging poorly researched tirades from a distance – ultimately making no meaningful contribution. Even more thoughtful bodies, such as the Pew Foundation, carry a large office with many staff in Brussels, all working to influence the Commission and the European Parliament, yet staying well clear of the RACs, which by definition require stakeholders to engage with each other.

It seems to be a sign of the times that NGOs are putting their resources into lobbying the Commission and European Parliament as a more cost effective way of wielding influence – but this will directly undermine the collaborative stakeholder approach that lies at the heart of RACs.

The Commission in particular must ask itself some searching questions: has it, by providing regular access to environmental NGOs at a very high level, systematically undermined the RACs? After all, these NGOs do not maintain Brussels offices for fun. Apparently, at the same time that the fishing industry has increasingly shifted its representative efforts to the regional level, these NGOs have apparently built up their capacity to fill a vacuum in Brussels.

It may be that the focus on CFP reform has given Brussels lobbying more relevance, even though the reform itself leads to a decentralisation of the CFP and a greater emphasis on regional seas decisions. But the arrival of co-decision and the enhanced role of the European Parliament suggests something much less healthy – a new concentration of power and influence in Brussels.

If this materialises it will not be long before the fishing industry reconsiders its position and concludes that it too needs a stronger voice in Brussels – and we are back to where we started – a top down system of command and control that generates mountains of legislation but fails every test of good governance.

Story courtesy of the NFFO.

Saturday 27 April 2013

DEFRA: Reforming the Common Fisheries Policy

Reforming and managing marine fisheries for a prosperous fishing industry and a healthy marine environment

Issue

Fishing provides billions of people with food, jobs and livelihoods. The marine environment must be managed effectively to support a healthy marine ecosystem and fish stocks.

The World Bank estimates that mismanagement of fisheries costs countries $50 billion a year. This includes $10 to $24 billion worth of fish that are caught illegally worldwide, depriving communities of income, food and jobs.

EU fisheries, and EU interests in global fisheries, are managed through the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). We need to reform the CFP, which is widely regarded as ineffective. The CFP has made it difficult for fishermen to run their businesses successfully, and has resulted in overfishing of EU fish stocks and damage to the marine environment.

In the UK, the inshore fleet - fishing boats mostly under 10 metres in length which operate in coastal waters - has particular difficulties. Fish stocks are at historically low levels, with essentially too many boats chasing too few fish.

Actions In Europe We are:

leading the campaign for a fundamental reform of the CFP by 2014 negotiating to make sure that the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund will include funding to help implement a new CFP managing fish stocks, by negotiating at fisheries councils and through measures to control and reduce waste of fish (fish discards) implementing the EU regulation to prevent the import of illegal, unregulated and unreported fish and fish products into the EU

In the UK We are:

improving the way we manage fisheries, including piloting a more local approach to quota management working with sea anglers to get better data on sea angling through the Sea Angling 2012 project funding research projects and the Fisheries Science Partnership, so we have the data we need to manage fisheries well

Internationally We are:

working within regional fisheries management organisations to ensure sustainable fishing on the high seas, for example by supporting the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) to take tougher action to protect tuna stocks and the marine environment seeking a resolution to the dispute about north-east Atlantic mackerel stock which will return the stock to sustainable levels

Background

Vessel licensing and enforcement

UK Fisheries Administrations have agreed a Concordat on the management of the UK’s fish quotas and licences. In England the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for licensing fishing vessels, according to EU regulations.

The EU ‘control’ regulation ensures compliance with the rules of the CFP. It includes the use of vessel monitoring systems and electronic recording systems, as well as a range of other control requirements.

The MMO co-ordinates an enforcement programme, which involves monitoring, control and surveillance of sea fishing in British fishery limits around the coast of England and English vessels operating outside those waters.

EU funding for fisheries The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) operates until December 2013 to provide grants for the sustainable development of the fisheries sector.

The United Kingdom National Strategic Plan for the European Fisheries Fund (2007 to 2013) sets out UK objectives and priorities for fisheries between 2007 and 2013, covering catching, aquaculture, inland fishing, processing and marketing.

The United Kingdom Operational Programme For The European Fisheries Fund (2007 to 2013) provides more detail on the UK’s priorities for EFF funding up to 2013 and flows from the UK National Strategic Plan.

The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) will operate from 2014 to 2020, replacing the European Fisheries Fund.

The UK wants it to concentrate on funding selective catching gear to help stop discards, and research to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the fishing industry.

UK shellfisheries Shellfish are both caught and cultivated in the UK. They are of great importance to our fishing industry and the aquaculture industry.

Scallop fisheries are one of the UK’s most valuable fisheries. The Scallop Fishing (England) Order 2012 came into force in October 2012 to safeguard stocks.

Brown crab and lobster fisheries are also amongst the most valuable fisheries in England. As quota stocks come under increasing pressure and more vessels catch crabs and lobsters, there are concerns about over-fishing, particularly of brown crabs.

Centre for Environmental, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) has carried out crab and lobster assessments and will be publishing more assessments soon. The assessments are being discussed with inshore fisheries and conservation authorities at their quarterly committee meetings then with the wider fishing industry. Reforming and managing marine fisheries for a prosperous fishing industry and a healthy marine environment

Who we’ve consulted

In 2012, we sought views on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund proposals.

In 2011, we consulted on the EC proposals to reform the CFP and the Common Organisation of the Markets (CMO) in fishery and aquaculture products.

We consulted on reform of domestic fisheries management arrangements in England in 2011. We also launched an industry discussion on the future of Seafish, which provides support to the seafood industry across the whole supply chain and is funded by a statutory levy. In February 2012 we published the response to the discussion setting out the next steps for Seafish. The discussion was informed by the Cleasby Review.

Bills and legislation

Legislation under the Common Fisheries Policy

European Council Regulation No. 1342/2008 established a long-term plan for cod stocks. The Days at Sea Scheme allows the UK to comply with this regulation.

European Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 (as amended) protects fisheries resources through technical measures, like fishing gear specifications and restricted fishing areas. There are related transitional measures in Council Regulation (EC) No 1288/2009. European Council Regulation 1224/2009 is known as the ‘Control regulation’ and ensures compliance with the CFP. Commission Regulation 404/2011 covers related implementing rules.

The Sea Fishing (Licences and Notices) (England) Regulations (2012) , which came into force in April 2012, enables electronic notification of variations to the licences of English fishing vessels.

The financial administrative penalties scheme operates under statutory instrument SI 2008 No. 984.

Council Regulation (EC) No 199/2008 deals with an EC framework to collect, manage and use data in the fisheries sector, and support for scientific advice on the CFP.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing Council regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 aims to stop the import of IUU fishery products into the EU. Council regulation (EU) No 86/2010 amended Annex I to the 2008 regulation and Council regulation 468/2010 established an EU illegal, unreported and unregulated vessel list.

Shellfish

The Sea Fisheries (Shellﬁsh) Act 1967 deals with establishing and improving commercial shellﬁsheries through a Several Order. It also covers preserving and improving wild shellﬁsheries that may be at risk of over-exploitation through a Regulating Order.

The Scallop Fishing (England) Order 2012 replaced the Scallop Fishing Order 2004.

The MMO has supporting information about regulations and legislation.

Who we’re working with

Devolved administrations

The devolved administrations manage fisheries in their own waters:

The Scottish Government Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Northern Ireland Welsh Assembly Government

We work with them to agree a UK position for negotiations in the EU.

Delivery partners and research centres The MMO is responsible for regulation and licensing of fishing in England.

Defra and the MMO publish a newsletter, ‘Fishing Focus’, to keep stakeholders up-to-date on marine fisheries and other marine issues.

Centre for Environmental, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), including the Fish Health Inspectorate, carry out research and monitoring of fish and shellfish stocks.

Seafish supports the seafood industry.

Inshore fisheries and conservation authorities are responsible for the sustainable management of inshore fisheries in their districts .

European and international organisations The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas advises on the effects of human exploitation on marine ecosystems and provides fish stock assessments for EU fisheries negotiations.

Regional advisory councils involve fishing and environmental stakeholders in the management of the Common Fisheries Policy.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna is responsible for conserving tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent seas.

The website for this information and more is here:

How to buy sustainable cod - any comments guys?

The problem with these well intentioned advert-cum-graphic displays is that they are full of errors, mis-information and present a very distorted and downright wrong summary of the sustainability of cod in the northeast Atlantic!

Fir instance What it doesn't say is that: "Joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission increased the Northeast Arctic cod quota this year by 33 per cent to a record high 1 MILLION TONNES"...

Courtesy of the Great British Chefs web site:

Looks a tad on the chilly side

Here's an exchange of tweets between Andrew Titus and David Anderson....

and an enlarged version of the photo...

with this shot from the wheelhouse of the Mersey Phoenix showing some light icing as you might expect when its -5° at night!....

showing just how big the difference is in the weather in those far western latitides despite the negligible difference in longitude between Cornwall and the coast of Newfoundland!

Friday 26 April 2013

Marine Planning Newsletter Issue 12 – February 2012

Marine Planning Newsletter Issue 12 – February 2012


In this issue · Guide to getting involved on the South coast is published · Plan-making in the South officially starts · East Inshore and East Offshore marine plan areas update · Refresh of Strategic Scoping Report · Update to Marine Planning Portal · MMO’s Marine Planning Team structure · Out and about diary	Guide to getting involved on the South coast is published As planning for the South Inshore and South Offshore plan areas continues a public guide on how to get involved is now online. The Statement of Public Participation(SPP) gives details of how we intend to gather as many views as possible from those in the South plan area – from Folkestone to the River Dart in Devon – to shape the 20-year vision for the area. It has now been approved by the Secretary of State. In January more than 170 people attended workshops n Exeter, Southampton and Brighton to inform the SPP and hear more about marine planning in the South plan areas. Those attending represented a range of interests, such as tourism and recreation, ports and shipping, aggregates, local authorities, consultancies, conservation and environmental interests, coastal forums and central government among others. The SPP sets out the process for plan-making in the South, who may be involved in marine planning and how and when they can get involved. It also includes an overall timeline for plan-making. Top
	Plan-making in the South officially starts Following the publication of the SPP, plan-making can officially begin in the South Inshore and South Offshore marine plan areas, The next stage of the planning process includes a period of evidence gathering to ensure all our work is based on the best available information. Once the Strategic Scoping Report (SSR) – a national evidence report – has been published in summer 2013, more detailed evidence gathering will begin for the South plan areas. We will be seeking input from anyone who can either help supply evidence to support plan development or help to identify key issues the marine plan may seek to address. Part of this process will involve a series of workshops about emerging key issues, anticipated for early autumn 2013, and we will keep you informed about when and where these will take place. Top
	East Inshore and East Offshore marine plan areas update Over the past few months we have been working with government to ensure the draft East Inshore and East Offshore marine plans are ready for the ministerial approval process ahead of public consultation. The draft plans are complete and we are now working to finalise the supporting documents, such as the sustainability appraisal. Public consultation on the draft plans will run for 12 weeks and is anticipated to begin in June. The consultation is expected to include a series of drop-in sessions in various locations along the East coast where the draft plans will be exhibited. These sessions will be an opportunity for those with an interest to come along and speak to a planning officer about the content of the plans and what it means for you. We will be launching an online consultation tool to coincide with the publication of the draft plans, which will allow people to respond to the consultation via our website. This MMO Connect tool will allow consultees to view the draft marine plans and provide responses to the consultation questions online. There will also be other opportunities to respond to the consultation, all of which will be publicised as the consultation gets underway. If you have any questions, please contact us on 0191 376 2790 or emailplanning@marinemanagement.org.uk Top
	Refresh of Strategic Scoping Report We are currently working to refresh the Strategic Scoping Report (SSR). The national evidence report compares the distribution of activities, resources and ecosystems across the different marine plan areas to ensure that we are aware of the individual character of the South plan areas as we progress through the plan-making process. If you have any national evidence you think would be useful for the SSR, please contact us. Top
	Update to Marine Planning Portal We have been busy refreshing the existing data on the Marine Planning Portal to ensure it is all up-to-date for forthcoming plan development. New data has also been published on the portal, including species and habitat data from a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs project, bird density data and marine conservation zones proposed for designation in 2013, plus other information. Once the public consultation is underway for the East Inshore and East Offshore marine plans, users will be able to view map layers on the planning portal which will display the draft planning policies. Users can then comment on these plan layers through the new ‘click and comment’ tool. The tool allows users to click on a particular area of interest and give a comment specific to that particular area. More information on this tool will be available once the consultation is underway. Visit the portal to find out more. Top
	MMO’s Marine Planning Team structure Following feedback gathered at the SPP workshops in the South plan areas in January 2013, we have published our current team structure chart. This chart indicates at a high level the current team structure and overall work areas of the team. A more detailed chart with different roles and responsibilities for each member of the team is also available. Top
	Out and about diary Channel Arc Manche Integrated Strategy (Camis) We attended and presented at the fourth Channel Arc Manche Integrated Strategy(Camis) forum in Caen, Normandy, France. Over the course of four years (2009 -2013) and bringing together 19 French and British partners, the aim of Camis is to develop and promote the implementation of an integrated maritime strategy in the Channel area. CAMIS also aims to develop concrete co-operation actions in fields such as workforce development, innovation and maritime clusters, transport and maritime safety. The focus on this final forum meeting was to discuss the action plan for the strategy including a number of presentations on the marine planning system in England and in France. The forum was attended by a cross sector of people from both the English and French sides of the Channel. A lot of useful and important work has been done as a result of the forum and it is has been good opportunity to bring together interests from both sides of the channel. National Character Areas (NCA) Workshop In April, we attended the National Character Areas workshop in St Ives, Cambridge. NCAs divide the English mainland into 159 distinct character areas. Hosted by Campaign to Protect Rural England and Natural England, the workshop introduced and explored the practical uses of the new profiles. We are working closely with Natural England to align coastal NCAs with the recently announced seascape assessment currently being undertaken in the South marine plan areas. Top
Marine Planning Team \| Tel: 0191 376 2790 \| Email: planning@marinemanagement.org.uk