Government intervention - Recruitment to the Fishing Industry.

Right now the biggest issue facing many skippers and boat owners is that of crewing. 

Pilipino crew repair a trawl footrope.

Many larger vessels, once jammed with local men, are now totally reliant on crews from other countries like the Philippines and Sri Lanka.  Fine in the short term, but where are the local skippers, mates and engineers of the future going to come from?

• The fishing workforce is ageing and the industry relies on labour from abroad.
• There is limited understanding of the opportunities and realities of work in the catch sector among young people.
• Careers in fisheries are considered dirty, with limited prospects and low pay.
• High costs of entry and limited access to training present additional barriers. New funding schemes may overcome this.
• Engaging with schools will help challenge perceptions of fishing and promote it as a rewarding career to young people.
• The industry needs to adapt to accommodate a short-term dynamic workforce, in line with the
• current priorities for young job-seekers. Providing a professional environment and transferable skills may enable this.

The situation in Cornwall and Devon is mixed. Many of the new netters employ crew from the Philippines while the fleet of big crabbers in Newlyn rely mainly on Latvian men to crew and skipper the boats.  

Brackan Pearce and crew take ice in Newlyn.

There exceptions however and boats like the Spirited Lady III with a combined age for skipper and crew of 57 can be contrasted to the UK fleet overall where the average age of crews is around 42 and up in the 50s for skippers.

Currently, there is an all-party Parliamentary Fisheries group researching the situation. The results of the first meeting can be found here. One thing is for sure, everyone involved in the industry can do their bit by promoting the huge number of positives enjoyed by fishing - especially when it comes to sustainable fishing, healthy living and lifestyle!

Future of inshore fisheries on the agenda as major conference announced

Changing Landscapes
Industry and government to come together to establish way forward on management approaches to realise full benefits of our inshore fisheries

Fishermen from across the UK are set to come together with policy makers, regulators and researchers to discuss issues around the management of inshore fisheries and to establish a blueprint for their future management.

The Future of Our Inshore Fisheries Conference – which is to take place in London on 8-9 October – was announced at a specially convened workshop today at which members of the Future of Our Inshore Fisheries steering group met with representatives from the inshore industry, government and science community.

Attendees at the workshop - supported by Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry - heard steering group chair Professor Michel Kaiser, of Heriot-Watt University, announce the conference and call for industry to engage on this important initiative.

Fisheries Minister Robert Goodwill said:

“Collaboration between industry, scientists, regulators, UK government and devolved administrations is key to ensuring the future management of our domestic fisheries is sustainable and profitable for all parts of the nation.

“I’d like to thank Seafish for their efforts in bringing everyone together and urge fishermen to support this work and play their part in shaping a successful seafood sector for decades to come.” 

The project steering group was established in January 2019, with representatives from across the UK industry, government and science communities.

Steering group chair Professor Michel Kaiser of Heriot-Watt University said:

“The Future of Our Inshore Fisheries is an ambitious project that looks to transform how we manage these important resources over the medium to long-term, so that we can ensure that our fisheries, our marine environment and our coastal communities are sustainable and thriving.

“There are no quick wins here so it is vital that we take the time to understand the issues and challenges that currently exist so that we can build awareness, understanding and consensus amongst all the parties involved in the management of this important marine resource.

"A key focus of the October conference will be to bring all interested parties together, whether that’s small scale fishermen, regulators, the environmental community and researchers, to help shape the blueprint for future management.  By working together from the outset we hope to lay the foundations for future collaborative working.”

Jim Pettipher, Chief Executive of the Coastal Producer Organisation, which represents small scale fishermen, said:

“It’s vital for the inshore sector to be managed in a way which allows us all to realise the benefits that these fisheries offer.

“From the formation of the steering group to today’s workshop, industry has been involved in every step of this process to establish a way forward.”

Barrie Deas, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisation said:

“This conference provides a unique opportunity to establish a bespoke fisheries management regime for the UK that recognises and explicitly responds to the potential value that the inshore fisheries sector can contribute.”

“I would encourage inshore fishermen to take this opportunity to be part of creating this blueprint for the future management of our fisheries by engaging through the steering group and by attending the Future of Our Inshore Fisheriesconference in October.”

Aoife Martin, Director of Operations at Seafish said:

“Seafish is pleased to be part of this important initiative. Our unique role across the UK seafood sector means we are perfectly placed to facilitate and support people to come together to work on solutions to improve the management of our local fisheries.”

“The October conference will provide an opportunity for participants to look at examples of best practice, from the UK and beyond, and to consider how we wish to responsibly manage our fisheries so that we can continue to support a truly thriving seafood sector.”

Inshore fisheries have historically been an important component of the UK seafood sector. In 2018, there were 3,327 active vessels in the 10m and under sector, with a total fishing income of £110 million, an 18% increase since 2009. Lobsters, crabs and nephrops were the top species landed, when measured by value.

Registration for the conference – to be held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel at Tower Bridge in London on 8-9 October 2019 and free to attend - is open now.

Mid-week market in Newlyn.

Still no sign of 'flaming June' in the far south west of the UK...

not that that seems to have slowed down the landings of summer fish like these net caught turbot...

from the Karen of Ladram...

not seen on the market for a few years, a 3m+ Thresher shark...

with the something of a forlorn look...

line caught with pristine skin, but name the fish...

also line caught, but still not many mackerel on the market this morning...

the inshore trawlers landed a good selection of ray...

more than enough to keep the buyers happy...

Dover sole demonstrate wildly different skin colouration...

a good mix of inshore ray...

while those big monk fish provide a good supply of delicious monk cheeks...

very little hake was landed...

though the inshore trawlers continue to pick away at more exotic fish like these red bream...

and John Dory...

in addition to the more reliable hauls of megrim sole...

and monk fish...

just some of the bigger boats between trips...

as the netter Silver Dawn makes for the fish market at high water for an early morning landing...

Charisma up on the slip with the propellor off...

work continues on the Ocean Pride to improve safety for the crew when over-ending nets in the stern compound...

PJ takes the Silvery Sea back to her pontoon berth...

ex-St David's Head lifeboat...

Silver Dawn all set to land...

aching back? RSI from over-ending nets? - head to the Harbourside Therapies for treatment.

Mevagissey prepares for Feast Week!

Last night Matt Slater from the Cornwall Good Seafood Guide met with Mevagissey fishermen to update them on the new CGSG website and how best they can support the ongoing work of the guide which seeks to promote all those species for which Cornwall fishermen are catching sustainably and ethically. Larry Hartwell, from Through the Gaps was also there to give a presentation on how individual or groups of likeminded fishermen can harness the power of mobile technology and social media to help promote their work in the fishing industry to chefs, hotels, restaurants, markets, scientists, other industry organisations and fish-minded members of the public.

With Mevagissey Feast Week due to start at the weekend...

 local fishermen...

 and their boats...

provide a fantastic celebration of the vibrant fishing community...

that residents...

and visitors alike can come together and enjoy in the port...

there's even a few boats more familiar to older hands from ports like Newlyn, the Galwad Y Mor on her outer harbour mooring...

the resident fishermen had the foresight to get these quayside stores built many years ago.

Stability monitor enhances vessel safey.

An innovative stability monitor that enhances the safety of fishing vessels is now available for fishermen throughout the UK, Ireland, and other European countries.

Developed by Hook Marine Ltd, the Scottish-based safety engineering company, the SeaWise real-time stability monitor, has been specially designed for the protection and survival of small vessels, in particular fishing boats.

With accident statistics showing that the majority of fishermen are lost when a vessel capsizes or founders, the new SeaWise electronic device provides early warning of the development of a hazardous situation by continually monitoring the rolling motion of a vessel at sea.

The system monitors any loss of stability through this continuous roll measurement and features a simple traffic light display which gives a green light during normal operation, an amber light when stability is decreasing, and a red warning when there is real danger of capsize.

Fishing vessels are at particular risk from stability issues because hauling fishing gear and then movement of the catch once aboard, may create imbalance. Excess loading of fishing gear, water on deck or modifications to the superstructure of craft can also cause problems.

Following successful trials of SeaWise, which began with model tests in the wave basin at the University of Edinburgh, the device was verified on sea trials, using fishing boats of different types from ports around the UK. The monitor is now being made available to the fishing industry, the equipment being no larger than a laptop, making it convenient to install on even the smallest vessel.

“While we are pleased with the outcome of our development work, the most important factor in its success lies in the hands of others,” said Ken Smith, director of Hook Marine.

“SeaWise will only benefit the fishing industry when vessel owners and skipper install the product and refer to it as a matter of routine on every voyage. This will realise the real purpose of the device, which is the enhancement of safety onboard, with a resulting reduction in accidents and preservation of life at sea.”

The development of the equipment was supported by funding from Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Trinity House, and EMFF from the Marine Management Organisation.

Changing the approach to IVMS implementation

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has announced it is changing the approach to the introduction of Inshore Vessel Monitoring Systems (I-VMS) for fishing vessels under 12 metres long operating in English waters.

Crucially for fishers, this means that there is now a pause to the planned roll-out of the new system over the summer.

Michael Coyle, head of compliance and control for the MMO, said: “We are working on a solution to ensure that IVMS is introduced to the under 12 metre fishing fleet in the most practical way using the most appropriate technology.

“The policy has not changed but the timetable for introduction will change. Following the consultation, we are reviewing our approach. We continue to work through practical issues and we will set a fresh timetable for the project later this year.”

The principle behind the introduction of IVMS remains the same; working with Defra, the MMO is committed to providing a more accurate picture of fishing location and activity, which will inform sustainable fisheries and support the viability of the fishing business in the future.

The pause will not affect the project overall as implementation of IVMS nationally was not expected before 2021. Vessel owners and skippers will receive full details of the requirements later this year.

New MPAs that could affect netting in Mounts Bay

Tomorrow evening (Tuesday 17th June) IFCA will be holding a meeting at the Trinity Centre in Newlyn as a a result of plans to introduce a possible ban on netting within Mounts Bay. Although this affects a relatively small number for fishermen the consequences may be significant in the short and long term for some specialist fisheries.