Sennen lifeboat goes out on a shout to the stricken netter Sparkling Line after a fire in her engine room

Throwing across the heaving line...

coming down through a busy shipping lane...

Starting motor engaged and caught fire - good job we wasn't too far away!...

who needs an engine to run the hydraulics when you got a crew like this!

It’s Crunch Time (again) for Europe’s fish ministers

All rights reserved. Credit: Greenpeace

A full page ad calls for Benyon to support sustainable fishing

If you listen to Ronan Keating much (I don’t) – you’d be familiar with the concept that Life is a Rollercoaster.

But for some of us, it’s a bit more accurate to liken the process of reforming Europe’s failed fish laws to that particular fun-fair ride : full of twists and turns, highs and lows, moments of hopeful elation, followed by moments of abject panic and fear. And sometimes making us reach for a sick bag.

Okay, that may be a stretch. But if you’ve been following the process of reforming the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) you may well be a little confused. The timeline keeps changing, and you are repeatedly told that ‘this is it! Crunch time!’ or ‘Yay! Well done! Good News!’

Sadly this complicated process is the reality we European fisheries campaigners have to engage with, and if it’s confusing for us, imagine what it must look like to fishing communities across Europe scratching their head over the prolonged opaque process of fixing something we all know is broken.

Reform of the CFP is supposed to happen every decade. This one was supposed to be done and dusted in 2012, but it has dragged on. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that the combination of public interest and pressure has meant that this reform process has been under the political spotlight like never before. Groups like Greenpeace and Hugh’s Fish Fight have been working together across Europe to make sure that politicians know what is on the line for our seas, and giving voice to the coastal fishing communities that depend on them. We’ve been making sure the people elected to represent us in faceless buildings in Brussels & Strasbourg know what we, and you care about. The most visible result of that was the astounding success in the European Parliament in February where MEPs voted 5 to 1 for a hugely ambitious package of reforms.

That though, was not the end of the process. Now it’s down to a tricky task of getting agreement between the Parliament’s progressive position, and the, er, slightly less-progressive position being taken by Europe’s fisheries ministers. This, folks, is the messy, but important, bit at the end.

This week, on Monday, Tuesday, and probably the early hours of Wednesday, the fisheries ministers will be meeting again. Steered by the EU presidency we are being told this will be the last-ditch attempt to agree their collective position.

So that’s why we now need our minister Richard Benyon to step up to the plate. Throughout the process he has championed the need for real reform, and now we need him and his like-minded colleagues to lead the charge for a progressive agreement on that reform. He needs to deliver on the fine words and promises.

Only if our ministers agree a good compromise does it look like a deal can be done with the Parliament for far-reaching reform – reform so desperately needed to ensure healthy seas and vibrant fishing communities in the future. Failure, or ever more delay surely cannot be a viable option at this stage.

That’s why, in conjunction with WWF, RSPB, Ocean2012, NEF and MCS, we placed a message to Richard Benyon in today’s Daily Telegraph.

Richard Benyon, your time is now. We’re counting on you to deliver.

If you want to tell Benyon you’re counting on him too, you can tweet @RichardBenyonMP#CFPreform

And if you want to show your support for Europe’s low-impact fishermen, you can sign up here. We’ll be sending on all your support for the small-scale fishing sector to Benyon and his European colleagues.

Article posted by Greenpeace today.

CFP REform NEWS! - All Aboard for the Reform of Common Fisheries Policy

Commissioner Damanaki participated in the "All aboard!" action campaign calling for the reform of Common Fisheries Policy. Commenting on the ongoing negotiations and the Council taking place on 13th and 14th May, the Commissioner stated: "Substantial progress has been made in the negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council on the Commission’s proposal for a reformed common fisheries policy. 

The European Union is on the doorstep of a historical deal that would put fish stocks on the road to recovery, eliminate the wasteful practice of discarding and ensure that decisions are taken as close as possible to fishermen. 

It is the responsibility of all institutions not to jeopardise a final deal because of disagreements over a few percentage points, one or two years, detailed technical rules or institutional power struggle. It is now time for both the European Parliament and the Council to make that extra final step towards each other that is necessary to come to a final agreement that will launch a new era of healthy fish stocks, viable fishing industries and more and better paid jobs for fishermen."

Hake at the Cornish Hotel & Spa

Sunday lunch at the Cornwall Hotel & Spa...

Chicken liver parfait for starters,,,

And some handsome Newlyn hake for a main tough he dish was hardly inspiring! - hake and roast spuds?

Fishermen Develop New Business Models to Save Their Communities

Theresa Peterson has been an Alaska fisherman for three decades.

During summer break one year in college she went to Homer, Alaska, to work in a cannery. She lived in a tent with friends. But after four days of being cooped up in the factory she decided she wanted to get a job on a fishing boat.

Peterson told Ocean Views that she spent a week “hanging around the docks,” before she finally talked her way onto a shrimp trawler. “They said they’d take me out, but not pay me, if I would cook and help ice down the shrimp,” said Peterson.

She was also asked to pick through the bycatch (unwanted fish and other organisms) and toss them back. Someone suggested she save the herring. She put some in a cooler, and then sold them to sportfishermen for bait when she got back to the dock.

“I made $800 that day, that was my getting started in fishing,” she said. “I saw this incredible opportunity to work hard and make money.”

Over the years, Peterson worked her way up in the physically demanding, traditionally male-dominated profession. She eventually bought her own boat with her future husband. She said they benefited from provisions in Alaskan fishing laws that incentivize owner-operators.

A Better Future for Fishing

Peterson was in Washington, D.C., this week with her 23-year-old son, Charlie, who also fishes. In between checking his text messages, Charlie said that he “can’t be away from the ocean for long.” Dressed in a sport jacket and ball cap, the younger Peterson added that he worries about the future of fishing.

Part of the problem, Peterson said, is that it now costs a lot of money to get the necessary permits or quotas to be legally able to bring in a decent-sized catch. “We have to keep opportunities for working fishermen,” she said.

One way Peterson is working on that issue is through her recent grant through the Fisheries Innovation Fund, a public-private partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). With the funds, Peterson is working to organize Alaskan jig fishermen.

“The jig fishery uses vertical lines with individual hooks. Each fish is hand handled,” said Peterson. “It’s a low-impact, low-volume fishery with a low bar for entry, since the gear is affordable.” She said a basic rig can be had for as low as $500, and a permit costs only $75. “I’ve seen people do it from skiffs,” she added.

The problem is that the low volume makes it hard for jig fishermen to make a living, especially when rockfish is going for 25 cents a pound at the dock, or cod 28 cents a pound, said Peterson. However, she hopes that by organizing these small-scale fishers, they can start to do better.  She is working on a website and quality and conservation guidelines and is helping the jig fishermen develop better systems for icing their catches.

“We need to find these tablecloth buyers that will appreciate fish handled in a different way,” she added. Her community’s fish will be processed in the U.S. and frozen only once, while most conventional seafood is now processed in China and frozen at least twice.

Peterson was one of several fishermen and advocates gathered at National Geographic headquarters for a conversation called “Advancing Sustainability Through Innovation and Entrepreneurship.” Convened by NFWF and NOAA, and largely featuring Fisheries Innovation Fund grantees, the evening took place during the NOAA-led conference Managing Our Nation’s Fisheries III in Washington. The town hall-style debate took place as guests munched fresh scallops, clams, crab, and rockfish provided by various grantees.

From Maine to San Diego

Carla Guenther from Penobscot East Resource Center, another Fisheries Innovation Fund grantee, pointed out that Maine has a very long waiting list for the storied lobster fishery. She said her state has a “license crisis,” and pointed out that her group is working to reduce barriers and red tape for locals and owner-operators, including at the statehouse level.

Ben Martens of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association said he has been working with the Nature Conservancy to map groundfish catches in the Gulf of Maine, “so fishermen can share info and stay out longer.”

Paul Parker of the Cape Cod Fisheries Trust outlined his group’s efforts to buy fishing quotas and hold them in a trust, to be shared by the local community.

Tj Tate of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance said her group is using the grant award to arm seven of their vessels with electronic monitoring for bycatch. “We had longliners getting shut down because of turtle interactions,” she said. “We are now working on tagging every snapper and grouper caught. We want to be fully traceable.”

A lobster fisherman works on Cape Cod. Christopher LeClaire, My Shot

Ken Franke, president of the Sportfisher’s Association of California, said his group is testing acoustic receivers off San Diego, to see if descending devices are working. After an angler hauls up a protected species, he or she can return it to depths by using a descending device, which inventors hope reduces the mortality that comes from pressure shock.

“In California sportfishing is a $2.2 billion business, and we hope to restore our access to the ocean,” said Franke, who noted that angler bycatch has resulted in restrictions.

Sam Rauch, the acting assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, added that “regulation is only half of the issue. How can we work with our partners to innovate?” he asked. (See how National Geographic’s Ocean Initiative is working to empower ocean innovations.)

Mark Holliday, the director of the office of policy for NOAA Fisheries, said, “[the Fisheries Innovation Fund] is a very modest investment of money in the overall scale of the federal government, but we couldn’t have gotten the kind of return if we tried to do this on our own.” He said one in ten fishing communities in the U.S. has been touched by the program in some way. “It’s putting money at the grassroots level, where it does the most good.”

Holliday added that the fund helps inject a sense of problem solving into the fisheries debate. He said we also should recognize the “social, cultural, and historical benefits that fishing has had for our nation.”

Peterson said, “A great thing to come out of this [discussion] is the encouragement. And the sense that policy makers really care about our community.”

Posted by Brian Clark Howard of National Geographic News in Ocean Views on May 9, 2013

Brian Clark Howard is an Environment Writer and Editor at National Geographic News. He previously served as an editor for TheDailyGreen.com and E/The Environmental Magazine, and has written for TheAtlantic.com, FastCompany.com, PopularMechanics.com, Yahoo!, MSN, Miller-McCune and elsewhere. He is the co-author of six books, including Geothermal HVAC, Green Lighting and Build Your Own Small Wind Power System.

Oil - the rush to the deep!

Offshore Oil and Gas Europe: rush of the deep

(C) WestCorktimes.com
Platform Barryroe, Celtic Sea

The first map BLUE LOBBY offshore petroleum activities in European waters is instructive. It shows us how the future development of the oil industry in this area will depend on the deep areas. Three countries are now heavily involved in the European development: the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. inventory This refers to two other issues blue lobby: (1) the superposition of new oil areas and areas frequented by fishing European fleets and (2) the technical conditions for the peaceful coexistence of the two activities or other activities.

Map

• Recent trends (2012) for offshore oil & gas exploitation in Europe
• Industrial technology deepwater is ready
• The European fishing areas: Channel, the Atlantic, North Sea
• The compatibility of uses between fishing industry and deep offshore oil & gas
• Read and see

This and more on the Blue Lobby scene in European waters can be seen here on the Blue Lobby Transparency web site.

Slow food Fish in Genoa!

Genoa, May 9-12, 2013
Porto Antico, Piazza Caricamento

Opening Times
Thursday May 9 to Saturday May 11: 11 am – 11 pm, Sunday May 12: 11 am – 7 pm

Entry to Slow Fish is free of charge!

Bookings

Limited places are available for the bookable events so booking is essential.

Bookings can be made online up to May 5, 2013. A confirmation will be sent as proof of booking. Bookings and cancellations cannot be made on the phone. Cancellations will receive a 30% refund, and must be made by email to prenotazioni@slowfood.it before April 21.

Any remaining places can be booked directly during the event at the event information desk.

Note: Slow Food members are eligible for a 15% discount on Dinner Dates, a € 2 discount on Fish ‘n’ Chef events.

Take a look through the program and book your events!