'Tiz a fine #Fishy Friday in Newlyn.

The forecast promises a fine weekend in the far south west...

so a Golden Harvest will be on the cards...

with just the one netter landing...

the Stelissa put ashore over 150 boxes of hake...

and a few boxes of morki for bait...

there were also a few inshore landings of bass and mullet...

while the beam trawler Cornishman landed its usual run of flats including these big turbot...

John Dory, ray...

and monk tails...

the hand-line boys picked away a few shots of squid...

mackerel...

and bass from Cap'n Cod on the Butts...

apparently they make gorgeous eating - yet to try one!..

just gone 6am and Newlyn Harbour...

 shines in the morning light...

young Jeremy hooks up a few boxes...

of bait for a day on the pots...

he supplements fresh locally caught bait with these frozen scad from Spain - they are IQF (Individually Quickly Frozen) which means they can be placed in the pot straight from the box instead of having to be defrosted...

it seems lobster and crab are not the only thing Jeremy fishes from the sea, yesterday's haul of plastic waste...

he says these blue plastic bags are picked up almost on a daily basis - which suggests they are coming from a local source...

that said, he heads for the gaps...

his new boat under construction will replace the Nazarene and being much larger will allow him to work more gear in heavier weather more comfortably than at present...

the rich morning light bathes the Penlee lifeboat...

and the netter team, Stelissa and Silver Dawn...

the dawn glow also picks out the heavily rusted sides of the scallopers and beam trawler...

Kingfisher is a Brixham registered scalloper waiting to sail...

while the inshore trawler, Elisabeth Veronique stows her fenders...

before heading out through the gaps for another trip - she will plan land for Monday's market.

Brexit - views from both sides of the Channel.

In France, just as is currently happening in the UK with Defra and the MMO, there are a umber of meetings and presentations being made to inform and prepare the French fishing industry for Brexit.

Much of the discussions during these meetings focus on the legal issues surrounding the right to fish where and when and for what fish and how much - especially if there is no agreement and the UK leaves the EU without a deal on October 31st. French journal Nouvelle Republique reports on those meetings in an article below.

Before that, Plymouth based Ashfords marine and transport lawyer Charles Hattersley who has represented many people in the fishing industry over the years gives his assessment of the Brexit situation with all its uncertainties.


“Imminent departure from the EU Regulation regime does not, necessarily, mean freedom from international obligations and regulations.

Since 1972 the regulation of our seas has become both international and complex.

International EU and the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) together with other regional organisation laws complicates the variety of transnational legislation that has been put in place regulating the use of the seas and care of the marine environment.

In very broad terms the total catch in UK waters by north-UK EU vessels equates to about 15% of the total EU catch. The catch by UK vessels in non-UK EU waters is approximately 33% what the rest of the EU takes from our waters. Another useful fact is that most of what we catch we export. Most of what we eat in the UK we import. The complexity of the legislation can be illustrated as follows:

The Non East Atlantic Regional Sea Convention (known as OSPAR) coordinates environmental protection in the North Sea. Norway is not a member of the EU but membership of OSPAR and UNCLOS require both Norway and the EU to cooperate and negotiate in respect of any environmental matters.

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Marine Spatial Planning Directive both have legal clout and in each directive, it is mandatory that all parties cooperate and negotiate best possible solutions.

The UN Fish Stocks Agreement 1995 has the objective of conservation and long-term sustainability of high migratory stocks. It is mandatory to take measures to prevent over fishing – so there is an obligation on the UK to cooperate and avoid over fishing stock within an ecosystem.

The North East Atlantic Fishing Committee (NEAFC) was established in 1980. The EU is a member – together with others - but the UK is not. To gain access to NEAFC the UK will have to become a member and that is not going to be easy judging by the difficulty encountered by other applicants.(Editor: the UK was accepted on the NEAFC in October 2020)

Most importantly, UNCLOS makes it clear that coastal states must avoid over exploitation and sustain maximum sustainable yields and importantly, whether a ‘sub regional’ or ‘regional’ organisation, they are all are obliged and mandated to reach agreement for conservation of stocks [Articles 61 and 63].

Article 62 of UNCLOS is important because it is states that there is an international obligation to minimise “economic” dislocation – particularly where areas have been “habitually” fished. There can be no doubt that French, Dutch, Spanish, Belgium and other trawlers have been in UK waters over the last 40 years or so, and that their presence has been “habitual”. Accordingly there will, in my view, be what is known as ‘historic fishing rights’ and fishing may continue pending a determination of any dispute. The same will apply to English and Scottish vessels that regularly and frequently fish in other EU waters well within EU member states 200miles EEZs. As a result all EU members states with fishing fleets will, as a matter of international law, be mandated to negotiate access to and from each other’s EEZ. It is axiomatic that the UK will require and need access to EU waters and of course, vice versa. There must, under international law, be detailed negotiation in order to resolve access issues. As to the right to fish it seems unlikely that quotas will come to an end but the basis for quotas will probably remain on advice from ICES. It seems therefore that under NEAFC, the UN Fish Stocks Agreement and for example the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the UK may have no alternative but to agree TAC’S between the EU and the UK. It may be that there will be an ‘effort limitation’ or ‘days at sea’ input to the TAC’s (Total Allowable Catch) but the clever money is on the retention of quota entitlement.
Lastly, as the UK will be wanting access to northern waters, as well as complying with OSPAR requirements, the UK will also have to negotiate direct with Norway in the absence of current membership of existing ‘Northern Agreements’ which have been negotiated by the EU (but not the UK).

Given the background complexity and range of obligations as a result of international conventions and regulations, negotiations must, self evidently, be detailed and comprehensive in order to achieve the result for which most of the fishing industry voted.

It will take considerable time and the use of very skilled and well-informed negotiators to achieve the correct result.

If properly managed and suitably funded, such negotiations should inure to the benefit of the UK fishing industry but - even if wholly successful - it is unlikely that such negotiations would be fully productive for say five to ten years, particularly in light of the legal requirement to avoid economic dislocation and also the amount and intensity of habitually fished areas over the last 47 years. At the very least there is bound to be a short term adjustment to the current import/export ratios referred to above.

Charles Hattersley, partner in Ashfords LLP, Plymouth.




This recent report from France follows:

The fishing industry is holding its State of the Seas in Granville: a conference to raise awareness of a profession worried about the implementation of Brexit.

In Granville, in the English Channel, the Assises de la Mer opened on Thursday, bringing together all the players in the fishing industry, from production to distribution and processing.

For two days, wholesalers, processing companies, distributors (wholesalers, medium and large supermarkets, collective catering, catering, fish groups), French and European administrations, local authorities, NGOs and service companies (consulting, certification, financial services) share their experiences and define the challenges of tomorrow.

This meeting is also an opportunity to take stock of the economic situation of the fishing industry. The timing of the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union is a major concern.

"These meetings are the annual high mass of fishing. It's a general meeting , " says Soazig Palmer-Le Gall, president of the Directorate of Bigouden Armament located at Gilvinec (Finistère) and president of the board of directors of the Producers Organization Les Pêcheurs de Bretagne (Finistère, Ile -et-Vilaine, Côtes-d'Armor, Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique).

"Four jobs on shore for a job at sea"

"What concerns the industry today is Brexit. " And explain in theory the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) extending up to 200 miles offshore (about 370 km) are European. So open to all European fishermen. Restriction of an area of ​​12 miles (just over 22 km) which are national waters reserved for inshore and small-scale fisheries (with some exceptions). Non-EU countries (Norway, Faroe Islands, Iceland ...) share this regulation.

"All European countries have fishing quotas, set by the European Union, by species and by zones," says Soazig Palmer-Le Gall, who points out that these quotas have made it possible to manage species and avoid overfishing. Measures, in the nineties, that were instituted in pain ...

"These fishing areas straddle national waters. The quotas concern 59 species for which, in 2020, the maximum sustainable yield will be reached. There are 81 non-quota species such as monkfish, cod or Norway lobster . Among the quota fish: haddock, hake, skate, sole, or whiting.

"If Brexit is done without agreement, overnight we will not be able to go fishing in the waters of the United Kingdom where 30% of our national fishery comes from because the English EEZ, located on the continental shelf, is very fishy. And as long as there is no agreement, we will not be able to go. Our boats will stay at the dock where we will all end up fishing in a small area. The consequences will be equally difficult for the British: they will no longer be able to sell their fish without customs duties and border controls. But 80% of their catch is sold in Europe! "

Admittedly, the European Union has provided aid to offset the shortfall. "Even if we have financial compensation, what we prefer is to be at sea, not at the dock. And we must not forget that the fishing activity generates four jobs on land for employment at sea. Locally, the situation will be very difficult. For everyone. "

Brexit and its consequences will be at the heart of the Prentations. Although the objective of the event is to promote an image that has been tarnished, but that the profession has sought to restore, including in terms of sustainable management of species fished. And there is still work: despite the establishment a few years ago of a Pavillon France brand, intended to promote fish caught by French armaments, a quarter of the French admits to know no fish species from the fishing, according to a survey of France fishing industry.

Key numbers

• Quantities sold in 2016: 698,000 tonnes (465 t for fishing, 192 t for shellfish farming and 41 t for fish farming).
• In 2016, the sector recorded 2.7 billion euros in sales (1.9 billion for fishing, 657 million for shellfish farming and 168 million for fish farming).
• Fresh and frozen fishery sales by region in 2018: Brittany 255 million euros for 76,810 t; Normandy 91 M for 37,113 t; Pays de la Loire 96 M for 19,280 t; New Aquitaine 81 M for 15,873 t; Occitanie 34 M for 7.718 t: Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur 6 M for 1.442 tons.
• Employment: 13,536 jobs of fishermen on board French ships in 2016 (excluding shellfish farming); 8,305 jobs for shellfish farming, marine fish farming sturgeon and salmon farming.
• Companies: 4,457 retail fishmongers (in 2016) for 1 billion turnover and 9,702 jobs. Mareyage (in 2016): 278 companies with a workforce of 5,945 employees. Transformation activity (in 2017): 199 companies, 4.7 billion of turnover and 13,996 jobs.
• The fleet represents 7,855 boats (4,417 in mainland France and 3,438 in the overseas departments). More than 80% of the metropolitan fleet concerns vessels of less than 10 m and engaged in small-scale fishing (less than 24 hours at sea).
• France imports almost 6 billion euros of seafood and exports 1.6 billion.
• France supplies 41% of its immediate neighbours in the European Union: the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. But the biggest comes from outside the EU: Norway, Ecuador, USA, Iceland and China.

Landmarks

• The CFP (Common Fisheries Policy) sets out a series of rules to manage the European fishing fleet and preserve fish stocks. It gives the entire fleet equal access to waters and fishing grounds.
• Over the last twenty years, the capacity of the EU fishing fleet has decreased: the number of vessels in 2017 was 83,117 (20,717 fewer than in 1996), of which 6,207 in the UK and 6,567 in La France.
• In 2016, consumption in Europe amounted to 12.41 million tonnes of fish and shellfish, or about 24 kg per inhabitant. But consumption varies: 57 kg per inhabitant in Portugal, 5.2 kg per inhabitant in Hungary.
• Annual spending on seafood by EU households is more than 100 per capita, a quarter of the amount spent on meat.
• The main products consumed are tuna (mostly canned), cod, salmon, pollock, shrimp, mussels and herring.
• The EU is the world's fifth largest producer of fisheries and aquaculture products, and in 2016 covered around 3% of world production (5.6% for catches and 1.2% for aquaculture) .
• In France, there are 37 auctions: Le Guilvinec, Lorient, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Les Sables-d'Olonne and Erquy cover 41% of the value of the first auctions.
• In 2015, 12,073 people were employed in the French fish processing industry

Full story courtesy of La Nouvelle Republique

Fishing Quotas: It's not just the size of the pie sustainable fishing and a just transition.

With 2020 just around the corner, we’ve reached the deadline set in the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to end overfishing. Due to years of delay in which fishing ministers set fishing quota – quantity limits on the amount of fish that can be caught – above scientific advice, dramatic cuts to fishing quotas are now inevitable. The opportunity for early action has been lost, but the power is in the hands of fishing ministers and their national governments to secure good livelihoods for fishers despite the necessary reductions. Indeed, there are lessons here for setting ambitious policy deadlines – and sticking to them – in delivering a just transition.

MSC Cornish sardines - sustainable fishing.

For decades, ministers have been trapped by the logic that higher limits mean more fishing – although often for one year only. The result is a cycle of scientific advice for quota reductions, fishing limits set too high, continued overfishing, fish populations in poor condition, and the annual cycle repeats with a loss of jobs in each rotation. As fishing ministers change posts over time this short-termist logic may be ​‘rational’ for their own political calculus but it is the health of fish and fishing communities that bear the consequences in the long run.

For the fishing industry, research has consistently revealed that ending overfishing has larger economic benefits the sooner it is achieved. This is because if you fish less now, fish populations grow in size, reproduce more, and there is a greater population that can support larger catches. Or looked at in terms of an investment, EU fishing ministers are ​‘paying’ interest rates of 10 to 200% (depending on the species) by legislating for fishing today at the loss of what could be fished in the future.

What makes this situation even more irresponsible is that since the 2013 CFP reform secured the 2020 deadline, there have been plenty of opportunities for fishing ministers to transition to sustainable fisheries with minimal impact on fishers. When fuel prices dramatically fell at the end of 2014, fishing costs decreased and profits rose providing a buffer against any impact from quota reductions. As we advised, ​“rather than treating lower fishing costs as a simple windfall gain, this opportunity could be used to make a final push to end overfishing in Europe and achieve long-term sustainability with no significant hit to economic viability in the short-term.” This unnecessary delay also creates a precedent in how other policies are expected to be properly implemented, with repercussions and a ​‘moral hazard’ across all other policy areas.

We have now reached the endpoint with the first quota negotiations scheduled in October for the Baltic Sea and December for the North Sea and Northeast Atlantic. ​“You may delay,” Benjamin Franklin wrote, ​“but time will not.”

ENSURING A JUST TRANSITION

At the same time, just as it is irresponsible to delay quota cuts until the very end of a transition period, it is also irresponsible to make these cuts with no regard for the consequences. There are livelihoods at risk and many coastal communities are intimately tied to the fortunes of the fishing industry. So, what can governments do?

What follows is specific to fishing policy, but behind these ideas are some core principles for doing any kind of just transition policy well: mitigate the effects for the most vulnerable; design social policies that can guard against wage or job losses; and state investment.

1. Use quota allocation to change the distribution of impacts

Frequently lost in the discussion over the size of the pie (the total amount of fishing quota), is the issue of distribution. It is up to each EU Member State to decide how quota is divided amongst their fishing vessels.

Fishing quota is a public resource and access to it should never just be given out indiscriminately, particularly not when quota reductions need to be made. There are countless reasons why quota should be distributed differently. That the initial quotas were gifted decades ago to those overfishing the most at the time, the economic vulnerability of some fleets and high profits in others, or the principle that quota distribution should be based on value that is generated or lost, for example value is generated when catches are landed locally or lost when a fishing fleet damages the seabed.

One policy we could learn from to buffer quota reductions is the Norwegian ​‘trawler ladder’. Under this policy, the division of cod quota between the Norwegian coastal fleet of smaller vessels and the trawler fleet of larger vessels depends on the overall quota. When the quota is low, the coastal fleet receives a higher proportion to protect against going completely bust, whereas when quota is high the trawler fleet gets a larger share more in line with catch history. While ministers may have you believe otherwise, any EU Member State could implement an identical policy.

2. Use labour policy to change how fishers are paid

Vulnerability is not just felt differently between businesses but also within them. Despite its long history, working as a fisher displays all the uncertain features of the modern gig economy. Across EU Member States fishers tend to be paid through a share of vessel earnings – a ​‘crew share’. This means that wages increase as catches increase, but the reverse is also true and a bad fishing trip could mean very little or no income at all. Another feature of this payment system is that while vessel income has remained stable, savings made on decreasing fishing costs (e.g fuel price decrease and lower rates on loans) have accumulated in the form of higher profits (orange) for vessels, rather than paid out as wages (yellow) as illustrated in the figure below.

Figure: Cost components and profit as a percentage of fishing incomeSource: STECF – The 2019 Annual Economic Report of the EU Fishing Fleet

Must this be the case? Of course not. We can change the rules of how the economy should operate. In 2003 Belgium passed a law to guarantee income security for each trip and the country now has crew wages nearly double any other EU Member State. Policies like this that look after income security must be on the table to ensure good livelihoods.

3. Use fisheries subsidies to fund the transition

A third area of policy to utilise is the direct role of the state to invest in the long-term sustainability of the industry and this is particularly necessary at a time of quota reductions. There is already billions set aside for fisheries through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. Member States have the option to directly subsidise incomes when fisheries are closed, but even beyond this there are investments that respect and utilise the experience of fishers; with skills at sea and a huge gap in our understanding about our marine ecosystems the programmes practically write themselves.

All three of these policy approaches lie in the hands of EU Members States. Fishing ministers – and their predecessors – have harmed EU fisheries by setting quotas too high over the past decades and holding back populations’ recovery, but Member States can make things right by recognising the power they have to not just set the size of fishing quotas, but determine how the impacts are felt. We cannot implement policies inhumanely, just as we cannot ignore the ambitious deadlines we agree upon.



Post courtesy of Griffin Carpenter senior research fellow at New Economics Foundation.

Visiting vessels in Mounts Bay

Just two scallopers left in Newlyn this morning, the King Explorer

and Whitelink's Kircaldy registered Eternal Friend...

out in the bay is the small luxury cruise ship, Le Dumont D'urville, launched in June of this year and currently heading eastwards after completing a circumnavigation of Ireland...

a small part of her summer cruise season before she heads west across the Atlantic to the West Indies for the winter...

she offers a unique perspective on, or rather, under the sea with her underwater viewing and listening space.

Women in the Fishing Industry video competition finalists 2019.

"What is not visible doesn’t exist"

Around the world, many fish-workers - both at sea and ashore are women. In the UK women who fish aren't invisible - they barley exist - though there are plans to actively promote women as new entrants in Cornwall and the South West. They are represented more evidently in shore work - Newlyn's very own Elaine Lorys is the UK's first Master Fishmonger for instance and much was made in the media of her success. 


Globally, “One in every two seafood workers is a woman, yet women are over-represented in lowest paid and lowest valued positions, and very few at leadership positions… Women are essential contributors to this important food industry, but they remain invisible, including to policy makers. There is a need to increase awareness about their role in this industry and to recognise the value they bring.”

This is because what is not visible doesn’t exist that in March 2017 MATIS in cooperation with WSI launched a video competition inviting men and women to tell us the story of women in the Seafood industry, to bring attention to gaps and challenges experienced by Women in Seafood, to cast light on positive initiatives.

More information can be found here on the International Association for Women in the Seafood Industry.



First prize Women of the Arousa Sea, (Spain)




Second prize Oyster farming in Wadatar (India).




Third prize Truchas arapa, or The Aquaculture women of Lake Arapa (Peru)




WSI Prize of Excellence 2019 Leadership des femmes transformatrices au Sénégal (Senegal):




WSI Prize of Excellence 2019 Women with tradition (Peru)




Special WSI mention to Mujeres a bordo (Spain)


There were many more entries to the competition - all of which can be seen here:

‘Resist changes to quota system’ says SW operator.

Threat to investment at a difficult time

A leading South West vessel operator says that moves to challenge the existing quota allocation system are wrong and should be opposed, because they would undermine confidence and threaten investment to modernise the fleet
Waterdance Ltd says that amid the uncertainties of Brexit, now is ‘the wrong time to be considering any fundamental changes to the industry that could risk undermining confidence and lead to reduced investment’.

The company, which operates over 20 boats based in Devon and Cornwall, including beam trawlers, netters, potters and scallopers, and is a significant holder of FQAs, made its comments after prime minister Boris Johnson’s recent visit to Brixham. The PM visited the port’s fishmarket and spoke to industry representatives, including Waterdance director Rowan Carter (Fishing News, 5 September, ‘PM: ‘We’ll prevent plundering of UK waters’’).

Rowan Carter said that as well as Brexit, domestic fisheries legislation in the form of the fisheries bill and the white paper was ‘a key issue’. This amounted to the most comprehensive legislative exercise concerning UK domestic fisheries for decades, and any changes made could be of crucial importance to the successful future of the UK fishing industry.

Waterdance said that the movement to challenge the current quota allocation system should be resisted. “The current quota system has been hugely successful in incentivising good stewardship of fish stocks by the private sector, as increases in stocks, and so quotas, create more commercial opportunities. Many millions of pounds have been invested in quotas to create compliant business models in the fishing industry,” the company told Fishing News.

Director Rowan Carter said: “As quotas are a major investment in fishing businesses, a threat to the quota system seriously undermines the ability to secure investment in order to modernise and grow the fishing fleet in the UK. Against the backdrop of Brexit, it seems to be the wrong time to be considering such changes.”

The firm said that the move in recent times by the devolved administrations to top-slice quota had already led to unwelcome disruption to FQA holders – some quotas had been granted to inshore vessels that they were unable to fish, due to the stock occurring in deep waters.

“The top-slicing policy has also led to oversupply of quotas for inshore vessels compared to larger vessels in membership of producer organisations,” said Waterdance.

“For example, with respect to commercially important stocks such as Western Channel sole (7e) and South West haddock (7b-k), the inshore boats have three to four times more quota than the members of the Cornish and South West FPO pool vessels, which plainly does not make sense.

“The administration of the quota withheld as ‘currency’ for fishing trials by virtue of the top-slicing policy has also been poor, resulting in policy U-turns where Area 7 monkfish and megrim quotas withheld for the start of 2019 were released on 31 July, causing disruption to in-year quota trading, and so fishing plans.”

Martyn Youell, quota and fisheries manager for Waterdance, commented: “Policies such as top-slicing risk undermining the efficiency of the UK fleet and reduce the overall fleet’s ability to exploit the resources of the waters surrounding the UK. Changes such as top-slicing, and any further changes to domestic legislation that act so as to undermine the FQA system, should be avoided.”

The fisheries bill is currently passing through parliament, and gives the government powers to change the UK fisheries management regime after Brexit. (Ed: The Fisheries Bill will not be passed since parliament was prorogued in the early hours of this morning)

One amendment to the bill that has been tabled aims to end the FQA system by stopping historic catch records being one of the criteria used when allocating quota. FQAs were introduced in 1999 to bring stability to the quota system and have been central to quota management ever since. Trading in quotas was permitted in 2002.

The amendment to the fisheries bill has been tabled by green NGOs and others who argue that the current system is too heavily weighted towards bigger vessel operators and POs, and does not give a fair share of quotas to under-10m and non-sector vessels.

Other criticisms of the quota system and FQAs include that they concentrate quota ownership in the hands of a few, that speculative trading by non-active fishermen raises quota leasing costs to non-economic levels, that it prevents new entrants joining the industry, and that it enables takeover of UK quotas by foreign owners.

There are also powers in the fisheries bill to enable the government to conduct trials of effort control management measures as an alternative to quotas. Fisheries minister George Eustice has said that some sort of dual system may be the best way forward, with effort control for smaller inshore vessels and quotas for bigger boats working further offshore.

All these issues will be discussed at the forthcoming two-day Inshore Fisheries Conference, due to be held in London on 8-9 October.

Full story courtesy of Fishing News:

New industry-led Youth Board will help shape the future fisherman.

Young, active fishermen bring fresh-thinking, innovative ideas and a creative way of working to the newly developed Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation Youth Board.

On Tuesday 3rd September 2019, the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation (CFPO) hosted the first ever industry-led Youth Board in Newlyn. The focus of the inaugural meeting was to understand and develop ways of recruiting and training the next generation of British fishermen from the perspective of a young person. Ways of attracting, training, retaining and mentoring young people in to the fishing industry were all explored.

The meeting was attended by several young fishermen, as well as an aspiring fisherman of just 11 years old - part of the next generation of Cornish fishing. The meeting was chaired by Paul Trebilcock, CFPO’s Chief Executive. Guests included the Cornwall Marine Network, the Cornwall Apprenticeship Agency, the local Fisheries Animateur and Seafood Cornwall Training representatives.

CFPO Chief Executive, Paul Trebilcock, explains the idea behind the Youth Board:

“We have set up the Youth Board to offer a platform for the young fishermen’s ‘voice’ because we believe they can bring a different perspective to many of the challenges the industry is facing. That different perspective and youthful enthusiasm can provide strategic guidance, positive thinking, and can help shape the industry they will hopefully be working in, into the future.”

The two-hour meeting was delivered as an interactive workshop-style meeting encouraging participants to think creatively and without boundaries. The three key themes of the day included; engaging young people with the fishing industry through quayside career experiences, designing creative content and communications to reach a younger audience, and exploring the concept of a fishing apprenticeship and mentorship programme for school leavers.

In reaction to the meeting Paul said: “It was a fantastic day and I was glad to see fishermen under 30 optimistic about where fishing is going, rather than over 40’s saying what they think young people want or are looking for.

“There was lots of positivity in the room and it was excellent to hear new ideas about how the CFPO should be trying to create new routes for young people to get in to the industry and further their careers at sea. The range of people we had at the meeting, from Freddie Beckett age 11 up to the guys approaching 30, was really encouraging and showed us where our efforts need to be focused for the next generation of fishermen.

“For the longer term the UK fishing industry has to make fishing a genuine career choice and re-double its efforts on attracting and retaining new young blood.”

Tom Lambourn, aged 23 and crew on the Lyonesse from Newlyn, explains why he wanted to be part of the new Board:

“I am a young, keen fisherman myself and I want to try and get more people interested in a career in fishing.

“Boats all around the nation are struggling for crew, and to keep the industry going we need an influx of young people who want the job. Fishing is not always seen as a desirable career, I want to help change that negative outlook and show people that it is a great job with a promising future.”

The CFPO and the Youth Board will be working with a number of industry stakeholders to take forward the action plan ahead of the next meeting in December.

Recruitment is ongoing for the Youth Board and the CFPO is encouraging anyone living and fishing in Cornwall between the age of 16-30 to get in touch. You don’t have to be a CFPO member to be a part of the Board.