Making her way towards Newlyn...
past some suitably clad swimmers...
the beam trawler, Billy Rowney heads in through the gaps.
Thursday 25 February 2016
Casting an evening eye over the Bay.
Making her way towards Newlyn...
past some suitably clad swimmers...
the beam trawler, Billy Rowney heads in through the gaps.
From the NFFO - ECONOMICS AND FISHING POLICY
The NFFO were in Malta last week and have now put togther this response from the conference:
Economics and Fishing Policy
It was for this reason that the European Commission recently organised a major conference in Malta, attended by Commissioner Vella, Director General João Aguiar Machado and other senior Commission officials, along with wide range of stakeholders.
Conservation and Economics
In his opening remarks Commissioner Vella observed that environmental priorities had for a number of years been accepted by policy makers and fisheries stakeholders as central to their thinking; but the same could not be said about an acceptance of the importance of economics by the environmental lobby. There was some way to go on this. He dismissed the usual attempt to balance environmental and economic dimensions, in favour of integrating both into policy. Often this was a matter of dealing with short-term costs to secure long term gains.
Landings Obligation
Much was made during the conference about the comparatively weak collection and use of economic data in decision-making and the absence of a proper system for undertaking meaningful impact assessments before major regulatory changes. The landings obligation was repeatedly referred to, not just as the biggest challenge currently facing European fisheries but a complete step into the dark, especially in terms of its economic impact across a wide spread of fisheries.
Following a description of the fisheries management system in the United States, it was observed by the NFFO that:
United States has:
Norway has:
Now comes the crunch!
The European Union is attempting:
The point was made that the approach being attempted by the EU would inevitably produce the potential for a large number of chokes, as the exhaustion of one quota in a mixed fishery would theoretically close down all fishing for that vessel, management unit, or member state. This reflection led the head of NOOA, the US fisheries administration, to observe that what the EU was attempting “seems quite extreme.”
Small-Scale Fisheries
The importance of well-managed small-scale fisheries was accepted by the conference as an important source of food and employment, although the definition of what constitutes “small-scale” is very variable and always depends on the context.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and others in the conference made the point that it was not axiomatic that small-scale equalled low impact. There were examples where small-scale fisheries had exhausted local resources. Neither were small scale fisheries were not immune from technological advance. It was important to understand what is happening in each fishery and to avoid simplistic generalisations.
Rights -based management systems seem to generate good stewardship but require hard decisions on who to allocate those rights to in the first place and, by implication, who should be excluded from those rights. At one extreme it was suggested that once government allocates such rights, it should back off from all but a minimalist approach to fisheries regulation; on the other hand, others argued for allocation of fisheries rights on non-economic criteria, which would of necessity imply a permanent semi-dependence relationship between state and fishery and the continuation of detailed prescription from above. For most, this was not an either/or decision but how to strike the right balance between economic efficiency and protecting features considered societally important.
To date, the debate on the future management of small-scale fisheries has been impoverished by a narrow focus, and selective use and mis-use of statistics. If we are to move to a clear-eyed, effective, fair and rational approach to managing small-scale fisheries, it will be important to address these macro-scale issues as well as understanding the dynamics of each individual fishery. This implies a focus on:
At present in England, the U.K. or Europe, there is no forum in which these issues can be addressed rationally and in the round. In this vacuum, assertions, counter-assertions, legal challenges, and superficial and frequently misleading commentary in the media and blogosphere, ricochets around, leading, at best, to stuttering ad-hoc political interventions with no comprehensive or comprehensible strategy. Mostly it is just hot air.
If this conference stimulates a shift away from the superficial to a more rigorous approach to managing small-scale fisheries it will have performed an important service.
Conclusion
This was an important conference which may signal a significant change in direction away from a dominance of an exclusively conservation focus, to one in which twin environment and economic objectives are considered together. There is some way to go.
Common Fisheries Policy has to date been driven almost exclusively by conservation priorities. The time has come to think about how to integrate economic thinking into CFP policy, to better achieve the principal objectives of the CFP. These are to ensure that fishing … “activities….are environmentally sustainable in the long term and ….consistent with the objectives of achieving economic, social and employment benefits, and of contributing to the availability of food supplies.” (Article 2.1 of the CFP Basic Regulation. 1380/2013)
Economics and Fishing Policy
It was for this reason that the European Commission recently organised a major conference in Malta, attended by Commissioner Vella, Director General João Aguiar Machado and other senior Commission officials, along with wide range of stakeholders.
Conservation and Economics
In his opening remarks Commissioner Vella observed that environmental priorities had for a number of years been accepted by policy makers and fisheries stakeholders as central to their thinking; but the same could not be said about an acceptance of the importance of economics by the environmental lobby. There was some way to go on this. He dismissed the usual attempt to balance environmental and economic dimensions, in favour of integrating both into policy. Often this was a matter of dealing with short-term costs to secure long term gains.
Landings Obligation
Much was made during the conference about the comparatively weak collection and use of economic data in decision-making and the absence of a proper system for undertaking meaningful impact assessments before major regulatory changes. The landings obligation was repeatedly referred to, not just as the biggest challenge currently facing European fisheries but a complete step into the dark, especially in terms of its economic impact across a wide spread of fisheries.
Following a description of the fisheries management system in the United States, it was observed by the NFFO that:
United States has:
• A mandatory timetable for stocks to be managed at maximum sustainable yield
• Quotas that are applied to all commercial species
• No discard ban
Norway has:
• Successful resource policies that in the main deliver high yields
• Quotas are applied to a relatively narrow range of individual species
• Norway has a discard ban
Now comes the crunch!
The European Union is attempting:
• A mandatory timetable to manage all fisheries at MSY
• Quotas are applied to a comparatively wide number of species including those caught as bycatch
• The EU is in the process of introducing a comprehensive landings obligation/discard ban to all quota species
The point was made that the approach being attempted by the EU would inevitably produce the potential for a large number of chokes, as the exhaustion of one quota in a mixed fishery would theoretically close down all fishing for that vessel, management unit, or member state. This reflection led the head of NOOA, the US fisheries administration, to observe that what the EU was attempting “seems quite extreme.”
Small-Scale Fisheries
The importance of well-managed small-scale fisheries was accepted by the conference as an important source of food and employment, although the definition of what constitutes “small-scale” is very variable and always depends on the context.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and others in the conference made the point that it was not axiomatic that small-scale equalled low impact. There were examples where small-scale fisheries had exhausted local resources. Neither were small scale fisheries were not immune from technological advance. It was important to understand what is happening in each fishery and to avoid simplistic generalisations.
Rights -based management systems seem to generate good stewardship but require hard decisions on who to allocate those rights to in the first place and, by implication, who should be excluded from those rights. At one extreme it was suggested that once government allocates such rights, it should back off from all but a minimalist approach to fisheries regulation; on the other hand, others argued for allocation of fisheries rights on non-economic criteria, which would of necessity imply a permanent semi-dependence relationship between state and fishery and the continuation of detailed prescription from above. For most, this was not an either/or decision but how to strike the right balance between economic efficiency and protecting features considered societally important.
To date, the debate on the future management of small-scale fisheries has been impoverished by a narrow focus, and selective use and mis-use of statistics. If we are to move to a clear-eyed, effective, fair and rational approach to managing small-scale fisheries, it will be important to address these macro-scale issues as well as understanding the dynamics of each individual fishery. This implies a focus on:
• Fleet developments over time • The balance between quota and non-quota fisheries • Quota management and quota distribution issues • How to define a de minimis “low impact” fleet, if this is to be treated differently from the rest of the industry • An awareness of the implications of drawing arbitrary lines through the fleet, creating differential conditions and economic incentives • All the factors, affecting sustainable fishing in inshore waters including fleet capacity, technological developments, access issues and an appropriate management regime
At present in England, the U.K. or Europe, there is no forum in which these issues can be addressed rationally and in the round. In this vacuum, assertions, counter-assertions, legal challenges, and superficial and frequently misleading commentary in the media and blogosphere, ricochets around, leading, at best, to stuttering ad-hoc political interventions with no comprehensive or comprehensible strategy. Mostly it is just hot air.
If this conference stimulates a shift away from the superficial to a more rigorous approach to managing small-scale fisheries it will have performed an important service.
Conclusion
This was an important conference which may signal a significant change in direction away from a dominance of an exclusively conservation focus, to one in which twin environment and economic objectives are considered together. There is some way to go.
EMFF Funding - EU grant money for fishermen available now!
CORNWALL'S fishing sector is being urged to take advantage of £71 million available from the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
Alison Elvey, grants consultant at Robinson Reed Layton, said: "It's vital, as Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have a rich fishing and aquaculture heritage, that the region maximises the funding opportunities and receives its fair share of the grants on offer. "In coastal areas across the region, fishing is significantly important to local employment, both directly through the fisheries sector, and indirectly, with its links to tourism and reputation for excellent seafood. "The size of grants varies widely from £200 for small-scale projects to £1,000,000 for port infrastructure, so it's best to check the guidance, or ask an expert, to find out how much grant you can apply for before developing your project.
Applications for funding include the following:
Grant rates range from 30 per cent to 100 per cent, although typically private sector projects will be able to apply at 50 per cent." The fund, launched by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in January, has about £71 million allocated to England to fund fisheries projects. These include improving health and safety on fishing vessels and improving the added value or quality of fish caught.
If you have a project idea and would like assistance then please do contact us on 01736 364324 or email Chris Ranford chris.ranford@cornwallrcc.org.uk.l
Alison Elvey, grants consultant at Robinson Reed Layton, said: "It's vital, as Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have a rich fishing and aquaculture heritage, that the region maximises the funding opportunities and receives its fair share of the grants on offer. "In coastal areas across the region, fishing is significantly important to local employment, both directly through the fisheries sector, and indirectly, with its links to tourism and reputation for excellent seafood. "The size of grants varies widely from £200 for small-scale projects to £1,000,000 for port infrastructure, so it's best to check the guidance, or ask an expert, to find out how much grant you can apply for before developing your project.
Applications for funding include the following:
- support for the implementation of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy including the Landing Obligation (the “discard ban”)
- improving health and safety on fishing vessels
- improving the added value or quality of fish caught including use of unwanted catches
- investments in Fishing ports, landing sites, auction halls and shelters processing of fishery and aquaculture products investments in aquaculture
Grant rates range from 30 per cent to 100 per cent, although typically private sector projects will be able to apply at 50 per cent." The fund, launched by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in January, has about £71 million allocated to England to fund fisheries projects. These include improving health and safety on fishing vessels and improving the added value or quality of fish caught.
If you have a project idea and would like assistance then please do contact us on 01736 364324 or email Chris Ranford chris.ranford@cornwallrcc.org.uk.l
Wednesday 24 February 2016
Today's livestream of important Landing Obligation meeting in Brussels
Go here for the livestream:
Agenda Participants: Member States, observers from the European Parliament, Advisory Councils, other stakeholders, Commission (DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries)
1. Arrival of the participants and Registration 09:00-09:30
2. Introduction by Director General João Aguiar Machado 09:30-09:45
3. State of play on the implementation of the landing obligation: lessons learnt (chair: Ernesto Penas Lado, Director, DG MARE) 09:45-10:45 Ian Gatt, Chair, Pelagic Advisory Council Pim Visser, Visned, President of EAPO Jeremy Percy, Executive Director, Life Platform
Q&A
4. Coffee break (10:45 11:15)
5. Implementation of Landing obligation: next steps (chair: Ernesto Penas Lado, Director, DG MARE) 11:15-12:30 Erik Lindebo, Senior Consultant, Environmental Defence Fund, Oceans Programme Emiel Brouckaert, Rederscentrale, Sec. Gen. of EAPO Giampaolo Buonfiglio, Chair, Mediterranean Advisory Council
Q&A
6. Conclusions (chair: Ernesto Penas Lado, Director, DG MARE) 12:30-13:00
Agenda Participants: Member States, observers from the European Parliament, Advisory Councils, other stakeholders, Commission (DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries)
1. Arrival of the participants and Registration 09:00-09:30
2. Introduction by Director General João Aguiar Machado 09:30-09:45
3. State of play on the implementation of the landing obligation: lessons learnt (chair: Ernesto Penas Lado, Director, DG MARE) 09:45-10:45 Ian Gatt, Chair, Pelagic Advisory Council Pim Visser, Visned, President of EAPO Jeremy Percy, Executive Director, Life Platform
Q&A
4. Coffee break (10:45 11:15)
5. Implementation of Landing obligation: next steps (chair: Ernesto Penas Lado, Director, DG MARE) 11:15-12:30 Erik Lindebo, Senior Consultant, Environmental Defence Fund, Oceans Programme Emiel Brouckaert, Rederscentrale, Sec. Gen. of EAPO Giampaolo Buonfiglio, Chair, Mediterranean Advisory Council
Q&A
6. Conclusions (chair: Ernesto Penas Lado, Director, DG MARE) 12:30-13:00
Wednesday and all is well in the world of quality Cornish fish.
Suited and booted...
Nathan shares a few of his hand-jive moves with one of the visiting FalFish team...
pristine fish as ever from the fishroom of the Lisa...
and it looks like she has steamed back out 'up channel' again to chase those Dovers...
dance moves over, Nathan gets to talk through the full range of fish on the market...
quality from the inshore trawlers like the Harvest Reaper...
the Ajax landed a good shot of blackjacks...
with their blood-red gills in stark contrast to the white underbelly...
big, beautiful turbot from the Lisa...
Lionel is still subject to agoraphobic tendencies from the safe confines of his beloved fish market
'all hail the hake' as Phil would say, one of the ocean's great predators...
this time, a good few of them succumbed to the nets of the Ajax...
Ian would appear to have it all under control this morning.
Tuesday 23 February 2016
Can you help Adam with this Jelly Fish survey?
From the editor's own experience:
I can think of a summer when there were huge numbers of Lion's Mane jellyfish in the Irish Sea when fishing for hake south of the Isle of Man - they seemed to get bigger every trip and forced us to wear a full set of oilskins and face protection in the height of the summer!
The jellyfish were picked up by the nets as we hauled - with fine tentacles that were up to 100ft inlength it was impossible to avoid them!
Marine biologist Adam Kennerley is in Newlyn this week for the final part of his jellyfish research. A number of south west fishermen have already completed the questionaire below - he would much appreciate if you help out too!
Adam writes:
I can think of a summer when there were huge numbers of Lion's Mane jellyfish in the Irish Sea when fishing for hake south of the Isle of Man - they seemed to get bigger every trip and forced us to wear a full set of oilskins and face protection in the height of the summer!
 |
| Gill netting on the Keriolet |
Marine biologist Adam Kennerley is in Newlyn this week for the final part of his jellyfish research. A number of south west fishermen have already completed the questionaire below - he would much appreciate if you help out too!
Adam writes:
"Specifically, I am in Newlyn to gain an understanding of the modern day fishing industry and to ask fishermen how they would respond to hypothetical future oceans that contain blooms of jellyfish. I will record their responses in a way that enables me to estimate any economic impacts on the industry (if any exists) if jellyfish do become more common (a trend that appears to be happening). Do you know of anyone who fishes in Cornish waters who would be happy to talk to me for 10 minutes or so?"I would greatly appreciate the input from Newlyn fishermen in completing the survey - you can also email me at a.kennerley@uae.ac.uk or use this link to the survey and complete it here.
Monday 22 February 2016
Misty, mizzly Monday market in Newlyn.
All you need to get started on the fish market, wax crayons, gloves and grade labels...
juts the three big trawl boats today...
and some quality monk from off the Lizard...
plenty of Monday megrims from the Resurgam...
and some huge monk tails...
while the AA was working on different grounds and picked up a good shot of lemons...
good to see the Gary M back in action again...
a box of snakes if ever there was...
the unique markings...
found on the topsides...
of the Cuckoo Ray...
a few more bass than you would normally see in a beam trawlers catch...
auctioneer Ryan and the buyers head for the next boat to sell...
a rare sight on the market, fish from a Dutch boat...
still fishing in the black...
or pink...
the Charisma was one of four netters to land...
over the weekend...
so there should be plenty of MSC Certified Cornish hake to go round...
now all the netters are back in port over the Spring tide...
a very smart name board...
and the working deck...
of the visiting multi-purpose twin-rig and beam trawler.
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