EU funding? - Don't miss your nearest FLAG and wider fisheries funding consultation event next week at various Cornish harbours.

FLAG and wider fisheries funding consultation events next week at various Cornish harbours.

Post-Brexit responses from POs in England, Denmark, Holland and France.

The first response from Jim Portus - CEO South West Fish Producer Organisation, UK:

The evident discontent with the democratic process of the EU Referendum would suggest that we, as a nation, are in for a rough ride over the years of negotiating the divorce settlement. It is at such times in a relationship between partners breaking up because of their incompatibility, that one might wish for "Relate" to assist. That's probably what Dave and Angela needed in February! However, we are where we are and the people chose divorce last Thursday, not reconciliation.

In the sector I strive to represent, albeit at a local level, the fishing industry was an early opponent of the Uk's relationship with the Common Market, now EU. If fishermen had had their way in 1971, we would never have got "married".

The Common Fisheries Policy that we all think about and hear of is actually only temporary and renewable ten-yearly. It is used as a clumsy tool to regulate access and quotas, markets and structural policies, grants and 3rd country agreements. These myriad regulations all fall by the wayside at Brexit in 2 years. So too does the Treaty obligation of the real Common Fisheries Policy, that of equal access to a common resource without discrimination. That would be the equivalent of a decree absolute. But, as with all divorces, there is now time for lawyers to get involved and make a settlement. This can be amicably, with both parties seeking honour to be satisfied, or it can be with bitterness and acrimony. I have the impression that negotiators will say "for the sake of the children" we should seek an amicable split. That's what worries me!

My fear from that approach is that our living marine resources might still be carved up as shared assets to be distributed. For the fishing industry this would be a similar sell-out as in 1971. So, is there a third way to settle the question of fisheries asset management for the good of all?

To my mind, the only acceptable divorce settlement is to invoke the UNCLOS Treaty, like a pre-nuptial agreement. This would allow full sovereignty within the 12 miles limit for UK vessels only. We would have sovereign rights within the 200 miles / median line limits, with access granted to share the surplus of the resources that could not be taken by UK fleets up to the sustainable limits. Articles 61 and 62 of UNCLOS deal with the details.

I look forward to our Fisheries Minister, George Eustice starting from that solid and internationally agreed basis for this newly designated independent sovereign coastal state, the United Kingdom.

Second, a perspective (and judgment on some UK chefs) from Johan Nooitgedagt of Dutch PO De Nederlandse Vissersbond. 

"The results of the UK referendum should be sending a very clear signal to Brussels that fishermen find EU fisheries policy too bureaucratic, especially in regard to the Natura 2000 regulations, according to Johan Nooitgedagt of Dutch PO De Nederlandse Vissersbond.

‘Rules are needed for fishing, but the discard ban took things too far, along with the loss of good fishing grounds,’ he said, but added that the discard ban had its origins in the UK, with TV chefs leading the way for it. The UK referendum coincides almost precisely with the establishment in the Netherlands of the EMK group (Eendracht Maakt Kracht = Unity Makes Strength), a spontaneous movement focused on the problems of the discard ban and the loss of fishing grounds to MPAs and yet more windfarm areas that reduce available fishing grounds.

The lesson that the Netherlands needs to learn from the British referendum is that the voice of fishermen needs to be taken seriously. The links between policy and fishermen have been cut, and the British have demonstrated this. A great majority of British fishermen made their voices heard, although they may have yet to experience the consequences of this,’ he said. ‘The hangover from all this is huge. Where do we go from here? Fishermen should not be made to suffer by Brussels, and instead Brussels should be helping its fishing industry. Policy has to have some logic behind it,’ he said.

Johan Nooitgedagt said that now that UK fishermen have clearly voted to leave EU membership, Dutch fishermen feel that this is an example worth following and there is a very clear dissatisfaction among them. ‘Fishermen finally have good quotas, but have lost much of their fishing grounds, which is unacceptable. Now fishermen want to visible action and De Nederlandse Vissersbond will support them with every legal way we can.

I have been in touch with the movement’s leaders and have urged them that a realistic and achievable plan with structure and vision is crucial,’ he said. ‘Fishermen have already been pushed as far as they can be, and are demanding a secure future and no additional threats to their livelihoods. Campaigning does not present problems, but action that is sympathetic to the public requires careful management. We wish EMK every success and will provide support in any way we can,’ Johan Nooitgedagt said.

The third, from Denmark:

"The Danish Fishermen’s PO has stated that it is up to Britain how it handles its EU membership situation, but it is up to the Danish government to ensure that the interests of Danish fishermen are safeguarded in negotiating an agreement with the UK to ensure continued sustainable management of fisheries.

Danish fishing is in many ways closely linked to UK fishing, and therefore the future of Danish fishing very much depends on a future British agreement. That is why I’m making a clear call to Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen for fishing to take a central position in the Danish Government's priorities for the forthcoming negotiations in the EU,’ said Danish Fishermen's Association chairman Svend-Erik Andersen.

The Danish fishing industry’s representatives have already made direct contact with both the Prime Minister and the Minister for Environment and Food with an unequivocal call to ensure Danish fisheries for the future. He stressed the fact that any agreement with the UK needs to be not only be about fishing access, but also trade agreements, with continued access for British fish to the single market of the EU, being subject to the EU's continued access to British waters.

The demand is that if the UK wishes to sell its fish in the single market, then it must also allow access to its waters, he said, comparing the EU deals with Norway as a blueprint for a potential UK agreement. ‘We have for many years had negotiated fishing rights in Norwegian territory, even though they are not members of the EU.

This has to also be possible when negotiating independently with the UK,’ Svend-Erik Andersen said. He also made the point that the basis for the EU fishing industry - the Common Fisheries Policy - remains unchanged by the UK referendum last week. For the moment, nothing changes and the situation of common stocks and shared waters remains in place.

There is absolutely no need to create any uncertainty about the terms of the Common Fisheries Policy. They are the same,’ said Svend-Erik Andersen. ‘Things are the same as they were before the referendum. That said, it is now essential that the EU and the Danish Government negotiate a good, long-term agreement with the British. It is imperative to ensure continued sustainable management of fisheries."

From France, CNPMEM president Gerard Rominiti says:

The vote by the UK to leave the European Union has raised concerns in France, and fishermen’s federation CNPMEM has watched the situation on the other side of the Channel carefully.

Speaking at its meeting last week, CNPMEM president Gérard Romiti told Secretary of State for Transport, the Sea and Fisheries Alain Vidalies that the choice the UK has made could have serious consequences, commenting that it has to be remembered that the crisis the French fishing sector suffered in the 1990s began with a devaluation of the pound.

According to a CNPMEM statement, in spite of Alain Vidalies’ assurances, French fishermen are concerned that the UK could adopt a less amicable stance, and Gérard Romiti has called on the French authorities to make early contact with their British counterparts to ensure that French landings in UK ports and French access to shared fishing grounds remain unaffected.

The regions of Normandy and Brittany depend on access to UK waters for around 50% of their fishing activities, and there is concern that a renationalisation of waters could take place, without consultation with other states. The meeting agreed with the Secretary of State that access to the European market is linked to quota distribution, and French fishermen’s leaders expressed a strong interest in being involved with future developments leading to a UK withdrawal form the EU. Source: CNPMEM

You can read all about the CNPMEM - a shoreside organisation that represents all fishermen at a local, regional and national level - their website is also available in English. 

Quiet market on #FishyFriday at the end of one week post-Brexit.

The market was kept supplied with fish for the weekend when two of the broke short their trips to give the buyers some fish for the weekend...

just as well they did as CNN are in town looking for post-Brexit stories in the region that paradoxically, has received over £1 billion in EU funds yet voted 'Leave'...

in a port where the majority of fish are exported across the channel all eyes will be on how negotiations ensure a fair deal for all concerned - from the boats that catch the fiosh iun terms of where and what they can catch after we 'take back control' to the issue of exporting fish to the EU, our largest consumer by far...

like these lovely lemons - remember to cook these guys on the bone - just get your fishmonger to trim them the fish, not fillet them...

whereas hake, MSC Certified hake of course you can cook whole - roast or poach, fillet or steak - one of the most versatile fish in the sea when it comes to cooking - get your local fish-fryer to try it instead of cod - he won't regret it...

one of the sweetest of fish, the delicious John Dory...

and the one that almost everybody can name, the plaice...

hake from the guv'nor, Govenek of Ladram...

name the fish that has this gill plate...

the humble scad, seldom eaten - but well tasty...

monk, top fish for curry and kebab skewers...

the south west supports the most diverse fleet in the UK, just a few of the bigger examples are in port this morning, a trammel netter, beam trawler, gill netter, prawn trawler and just out of sight, a scalloper - all the port's big crabbers are at sea...

the season has yet to sdtart for the Cornsih sardine fleet so it is time to replace worn sections of net, a painstaking process that can only be done by hand...

most of the net is still aboard the boat...

the working deck of the scalloper Aquarius

MMO - Call for issues with supporting evidence north east, north west, south east and south west marine plan areas

Today the @MMO are launching a ‘Call for Issues with Supporting Evidence’ for the north east, north west, south east and south west marine plan areas.

The MMO says, "Identifying and understanding the opportunities and challenges for the marine plan areas is critical to developing meaningful and tailored marine plans. Local, specialist and industry knowledge is at the heart of this, and your contribution is essential."

"We would like to hear from you about what the opportunities, challenges, and needs of the marine plan areas are over the next 20 years, and what supporting evidence is available."

The call opens today (Thursday 30 June) and closes on Friday 5 August.

We have started to understand some of the issues for each marine plan area which are described in the issues information sheets here. Please read these before responding to the call.

Complete the form with your comments and ideas here: 

Scotland's fishing industry welcomes decision to leave the EU.

Despite the promises made by those advocating the Brexit, British fishermen have been warned their catch quotas will not be greater and economic issues may increase after the UK leaves the European Union.

These warnings were made by fisheries chiefs and campaigners, who also claimed that the new arrangements negotiated after the Brexit “will not be more generous,” The Guardian reported.

“Promises have been made and expectations raised during the referendum campaign and it is now time to examine if and how they can be delivered,” said the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations.

“We can certainly seek to renegotiate quota shares, as well as access arrangements, but it is realistic to expect that there will be a price. Who will pay that price is a critical question,” the entity stated.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the European commission told the Guardian: “It is far too early to speculate on this question [of what will happen to fisheries]. That will be addressed in due course, once negotiations with the UK begin on its withdrawal agreement as well as on the agreement concerning its future relationship with the EU. For the time being, nothing changes.”

There are only about 11,000 people directly employed in fishing in the UK, and nearly half of them in Scotland.

The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong, pointed out the referendum result offered both opportunities and challenges and that it was vital to have clarity from the UK and Scottish governments on their future intentions for fishing.

“After many years we at last have the ability to recover proper, sustainable and rational stewardship through our own Exclusive Economic Zone for fisheries, just like Norway, Iceland and the Faroes,” Armstrong stressed.

The fishery leader is convinced that for Scotland’s economically important fishing industry the new opportunities presented by the referendum result are overwhelmingly for the better and that with leadership exercised at last from the right place, the ills of the past of overfishing and incoherent regulation could be banished.

“We are witnessing another form of ‘Project Fear’ when instead we should be working on the details of how we, at long last, make the best out of the new leadership opportunities presented,” Armstrong claimed.

For his part, economist Griffin Carpenter warned there will be years of renegotiations, and given the small size of fishing compared to other industries, there is little chance it will be seen as a priority,

Other green campaigners called for ministers to draw up a plan for sustainable fishing following the UK’s departure from the EU.

Trevor Hutchings of WWF-UK said: “The government must deliver a coherent plan for maintaining and conserving the marine environment as a whole. This must recognise that fish stocks do not respect national boundaries. Effective management will rely on international cooperation.”

Will McCallum, head of oceans at Greenpeace UK, pointed out that the Westminster government, rather than Brussels, was in charge of allocating the EU-agreed fishing quota, and had chosen for years to give most of it to a handful of large corporations rather than to the smaller fishermen who have most to lose.

He said: “Leaving the EU has often been held up as a magic pill for the UK’s fishing industry. But now we’ve voted to leave, it is far from plain sailing. One thing is clear: the UK government cannot settle back into its old habit of privileging a handful of large companies to the detriment of the UK’s small-scale fishermen. It wasn’t the EU that gave almost two-thirds of the entire fishing quota of England and Wales to just three companies - it was the British government.”

Full story courtesy of the Guardian.

Mizzly mid-week morning market

Just the one prawn trawler still in the harbour this morning...

with the scaffolding still surrounding the foremsts of the Twilight III it could be a few days yet before she is back to sea...

another night stopover for the workboat...

the driving seat of what fishermen sometimes refer to...

 as a gin palace has made Newlyn for the evening...

while neap tides and fine'ish weather mean that all the trawlers and all but a couple of the netters are at sea leaving just a token beam trawler trip...

give Gary something to measure and record this morning...

like these cracking haddock...

juicy John Dory...

despite the below average temperature the market boxes are heavily iced...

so that top quality turbot get to the market in tip-top condition...

and these lively lobsters stay that way...

still no sign of the missing Through the Gaps white coat!

even the gulls think it's a dismal start to the day...

nice little sail boat for sale...

all in a good cause, put the night of Saturday the 23rd of July in your diary and make it a successful fundraising night for the Fishermen's Mission hosted by the Padstow social Club, for some of the cheapest drinks in the port...

although a step ladder is one of 'three things you will never find on a fishing boat' a ladder does come in useful for tidal harbours...

one new trawl all set for the red boat in the background.

French Brexit concerns

The vote by the UK to leave the European Union has raised concerns in France, and fishermen’s federation CNPMEM has watched the situation on the other side of the Channel carefully.

Speaking at its meeting last week, CNPMEM president Gérard Romiti told Secretary of State for Transport, the Sea and Fisheries Alain Vidalies that the choice the UK has made could have serious consequences, commenting that it has to be remembered that the crisis the French fishing sector suffered in the 1990s began with a devaluation of the pound. 

According to a CNPMEM statement, in spite of Alain Vidalies’ assurances, French fishermen are concerned that the UK could adopt a less amicable stance, and Gérard Romiti has called on the French authorities to make early contact with their British counterparts to ensure that French landings in UK ports and French access to shared fishing grounds remain unaffected. The regions of Normandy and Brittany depend on access to UK waters for around 50% of their fishing activities, and there is concern that a renationalisation of waters could take place, without consultation with other states. 

The meeting agreed with the Secretary of State that access to the European market is linked to quota distribution, and French fishermen’s leaders expressed a strong interest in being involved with future developments leading to a UK withdrawal form the EU.

Story courtesy of Fisker Forum - download your free copy of Hook & Net here: