Common Language Group - The Power of Collaboration

Following the cancellation of the face-to-face meetings on 26 March and 16 July we are developing a series of shorter online CLG sessions.

Date and time: Tuesday 19 May 2020. 2.00pm - 3.30pm. BST
Group: CLG Online

Theme: The Power of Collaboration. Exploring how working together, advocacy and shared learning, is driving improvements in sustainability and traceability in seafood supply chains.

Topics and Speakers: 

• The Global Tuna Alliance - an independent group of retailers and supply-chain companies, working to ensure that tuna ultimately meets the highest standards of environmental performance and social responsibility. Speaker: Tom Pickerell.

• The North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group wants an agreement on total allowable catches for North East Atlantic Pelagic Fisheries in line with scientific advice, and for a long-term science-based management agreement. Speaker: Tom Pickerell.

• North Sea cod fisheries management - adapting to change. Speaker: Mike Park, Scottish White Fish Producers Association.

Register for CLG Online: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/common-language-group-webinar-the-power-of-collaboration-registration-104967729304

For further information contact Karen Green: 

T: 01480 431500. M: 07515 993499 E: Karen.green@seafish.co.uk

New Dutch fly-shooter to replace pulse beam-trawler.

STELLENDAM - Sjaak Brinkman expanded his fishing business from one to two cutters last spring. In addition to the boxer SL 42, he now also has the fly-shooter SL 45 in service. The complete crew of the SL 42 with the skippers Jaap Sperling and Piet Tanis has boarded the SL 45 this month.

Photo: Ronnie Hameeteman

“During the anti-pulse lobby, we took over the channel license from IJM 8 through sales broker Cees de Jong, so that we could change the course if necessary. At the end of last year, De Jong's question passed by whether we wanted to leave that permit on the shelf for longer, or whether we were interested in buying the UK 151. That is how we got into a conversation with Quotter and made the decision. It allegedly comes your way. For us it is a whole new step with fly-shoot fishing. Also for the crew. In the coming months, there is still a lot of trying to get everything under control, hopefully we can come along in the new Channel season after the summer,'' says Brinkman.

On Monday 4 May, the SL 45 Stellar from the first trip in Scheveningen was on the market. Last Thursday, the flyshooter entered Ostend again due to winch problems.

VesselTracker AIS of SL45 Stellar's first shakedown trips.

Robbie van Belzen has been sailing on the beam trawler SL 42 since the beginning of this year, who brought his own crew. Since the pulse permit was withdrawn last year, fishing has mainly taken place in the north. Two of the eight crew members are at home every week.

Google translation.

Brexit negotiations - why aren't the MSM all over this?!

I think many fishermen are still waiting for some information on exactly what the government is really thinking. The spin is that the UK government is still fighting to deliver on it's promise to to back control of UK waters; the fact is, there is nothing to fight over in that respect, since the UK has become an independent coastal state by matter of law with all the rights and obligations. 

Ian Kinsey, ex fisherman, independent consultant, pragmatic bridge-builder ponders the current situation:

"The matter that needs discussing is a renegotiation of CS shares - what the UK chooses to do with any additional quota over the present RS shares is up to the government both in amount and duration. Win-win deals are negotiated not by fear and procrastination, but by creating appeal and some form of certainty. 

The mainstream media continually reiterates the UK governments aspiration for a Norwegian style fisheries arrangement with the EU; where quota levels and access are agreed annually: I participated in the annual EU-NOR fisheries negotiations 2003 -7, as part of the Norwegian delegation; quotas were discussed and agreed, but only the total allowable catches or TACs for stocks shared by the EU and Norway. What share of each stock the EU and Norway would receive, had already been agreed in 1979 by way of discussions solely for the purpose of agreeing on coastal state shares; the discussions were limited at that time to 6 main species: cod, saithe, haddock, whiting, herring, and mackerel. This was an agreement that was negotiated and agreed from a position of Norway being a third country, without any previous ties linking fishing to trade with the EU. Norway agreed a deal and became a member of the EETA in 1992, with the membership coming into effect on 1 January 1994.

The annual EU - Nor negotiations cover TAC levels in relation to scientific advice from ICES, management plans, technical regulations, quota swaps, terms of reciprocal access, and any other business AoB.
I am bewildered at the lack of interest/scrutiny from the UK media as to the details of the proposals put forward by David Frost and his team as to what the future fisheries relationship would look like in to Zonal attachment, and the course of action/timeframe needed to achieve an agreement on it. 

What responsible government would sacrifice the greater good of the country, for the sake of an industry where the symbolic value (although important for some coastal communities) far outweighs its contribution to the national GDP. Fisheries appear to be a "pothole" in the "easiest trade deal ever" road to Brexit, where the government appears to prefer digging up the whole road, rather than filling in the pothole. 

There seems to be little or no coverage in the UK media concerning the fact that the EU fully recognises the UK as an independent coastal state that has full control of its waters; and that the EU is not seeking to impose the CFP on a third country. The message coming over in the media is spun in a way that gives the impression that the EU wants to keep the UK shackled to the CFP. The EU mandate clearly states what the member states want from a future relationship on fisheries in terms of quota and access - whereas the UK hasn't been willing to put figures on the table in relation to what it deems to be a "fairer share" of the EU-UK shared "fishcake".
Fisheries will need a fisheries specific extended transition/plan for ascertaining the UK's preferred Zonal attachment as the means of defining a fairer quota share for the UK; a timeline for quota repatriation/divestment etc. All of this needs to be based on a comprehensive coherent plan."

Thoughts and comments welcome!

#FishyFriday in Newlyn - let's hear it for hake!

Just one significant landing on the market at Newlyn this morning...

80 boxes...

of MSC Certified Cornish hake - let's hope more and more Fish and Chip shops in the UK are asking for hake fro out local merchants after the National Federation of Fish Fryers put out a shout to its members to take up the challenge and buy UK caught hake for their fryers!

Legal ‘warning shot’ on Catch App prosecutions

Two fishing industry groups have fired a legal broadside at DEFRA and the MMO over the controversial under-10m Catch App, reports Tim Oliver.

Plymouth Trawler Agents (PTA) and Felixstowe and Harwich Fishermen’s Association (FHFA) instructed Hull-based marine solicitor Andrew Oliver to write to DEFRA secretary of state George Eustice and the MMO warning that they will contest in court any prosecutions of fishermen that rely on evidence from the controversial under-10m Catch App.

Under-10 fishermen have complained that the Catch App is not fit for purpose since it was introduced last year. Now the two organisations and Andrew Oliver have translated the complaints into action.

The letter to DEFRA and the MMO, which was also copied to the Government Digital Service, which supervised the delivery of the app, says that the solicitors and their clients have ‘considerable concerns regarding the app, its operation, its testing, its approval for use and its evidential value in terms of any legal proceedings, and ultimately any conviction based on any alleged breach of its use’.

It says that they are concerned that a prosecution or any other regulatory action based on evidence from the app ‘could potentially be unfair and illegal’ and that ‘any enforcement action would be based on a flawed system’.

The complainants say that they understand that the testing and procurement processes of the app have not been completed, and ask for ‘written confirmation that should it be the case that MMO officers believe that an infringement has occurred, no steps will be taken towards enforcement’.

They say that taking into account the state of the app’s development, any enforcement action would not pass the legal tests needed for evidence to be presented in court.

In the event of a prosecution, they would therefore seek ‘full disclosure… of all matters relating to the procurement and testing of the app including its approval process’.

They say it would not be in the public interest to bring proceedings based on the app, ‘which has been shown to be flawed, inaccurate, and incapable of being complied with, or incapable of producing accurate evidence’.

They conclude by urging the MMO ‘to make it clear to the fishing industry that no regulatory enforcement action will be taken based on the operation of the app’.

Andrew Oliver told Fishing News that the law on using evidence from an electronic device in court was changed recently. Formerly, a prosecutor such as the MMO only had to bring evidence to the court to show that the device was working properly and accurate.

But now it is down to the courts to decide on evidence presented to them as to whether an electronic source is working properly and can be relied upon.

“The letter is a warning shot across the bows of the MMO, because we know the Catch App has been a nightmare for the MMO to commission, test and implement,” said Andrew Oliver.

He said that they are telling the MMO that if it decides to prosecute on the basis of the Catch App, they will require it to produce full documented disclosure in court as to how the app was put together and tested.

“All its glitches, all its pitfalls will come out in the wash. We hope this will be enough to, one, prevent them bringing any proceedings, or two, scrap it altogether – although, of course, this is a £2.4m investment.

“We know the app is flawed, and we are saying that if you decide to prosecute, we are going to move heaven and earth to make you disclose all of your evidence to show that it does work.”

FHFA spokesman James White said that the action was a last resort, as the last thing they wanted to do was spend money on a legal action, but the authorities seemed ‘hellbent’ on persisting with the app.

“We’re at the end of the road, there’s nowhere else to go,” he said. “Our members feel the app is unjust, immoral and is going to put people in a position where they could be prosecuted for human error.”

NUTFA: ‘Admit you got it wrong’
Under-10m spokesman Jerry Percy said that NUTFA congratulated PTA and the FHFA for committing the resources and having the courage to take a stand against the ill-thought-out Catch App.

“NUTFA has long campaigned for a complete rethink on the system, which puts yet more regulatory burdens on already over-pressed inshore fishermen, and which sought only to needlessly gold-plate existing reporting requirements,” he said.
“What has become clear over the months of our campaign is that the MMO, having spent £1.8m on developing the system and having promoted it widely – with legal backing – remains clearly reluctant to admit that it is anything other than fit for purpose.
“We understand this – it is human nature – but someone in the hierarchy of the MMO, which created this debacle, should have the balls to stand up and admit that they got it wrong.”

He noted that the Catch App happened before new MMO chief executive Tom McCormack took over, and that he had had ‘the decency to apologise on behalf of those who made such scurrilous comments about fishermen in a recent paper on the system’.

MMO: ‘App there to help support under-10s’

An MMO spokesman said that the under-10m Catch App had been introduced to better understand and support the under-10 sector, which includes over 2,000 boats. The information recorded would help to improve the sustainable management of stocks, he said, which is in everyone’s interest.

“After a period of live-testing, the Catch App was gradually introduced throughout the fleet at the end of 2019, and so far, more than 1,700 boats have registered to use the app, with over 15,000 catches recorded to date,” said the spokesman. “Catch records continue to increase every day.
“While it would not be appropriate for the MMO to comment on any individual concerns and/or challenges received, we continue to work with our fishing sector, listen and learn from feedback, and continue to make further improvements to the systems.”

Campbell Gunn: Let’s support our Scottish fishing industry

Having spent the majority of my working career in journalism, then in government, I may not appear to be best placed to comment on the fishing industry. However, my family has a long connection with fishing. Before I was born, a great-uncle was drowned off the coast of Caithness.

Much more recently, my first cousin, just a year older than me, was lost when the fishing boat of which he was skipper sank in the Firth of Clyde. And as a youngster, I went out with my uncle on the ring-netter on which he was engineer. I even wrote a song about fishing as a tribute to him, which has been recorded by several well-known folk musicians.

So I’ve always maintained a close interest in the trials and tribulations fishing has faced over the past decades. And seldom has the industry been in greater peril than today, thanks to the coronavirus.

According to Seafood Scotland, demand for fish has dropped by 60% since the start of the pandemic. Around 80% of Scottish fish and shellfish worth some £1.6 billion normally goes to export, and this sector has virtually gone altogether. Hotels and restaurants have closed the world over. And the remaining 20% of sales – the domestic market – is also suffering because many of the big supermarkets have closed their wet fish counters to implement social distancing.

Of the big supermarket chains only Morrisons kept their wet fish section open and last week Seafood Scotland wrote to all the others in an appeal for them to do the same. Despite the fact that so much of our own seafood is exported, around 60% of what Scottish consumers buy is imported from abroad. This is a scandalous state of affairs.

Scotland is the third largest producer of seafood in Europe, with Peterhead Europe’s largest fish market. We produce 65 different species of seafood. Yet the chances are that the fish or shellfish we buy in our local shops will have come from outwith Scottish waters. Contrast this to how we eat on holiday when abroad. That paella you had in Spain last summer was probably full of Scottish prawns. The best Michelin-starred French restaurants highlight the fact that their fish comes from Scotland – their chefs see it as a mark and guarantee of excellent quality. It’s time we did the same.

The supermarkets have a major role to play. If they react positively to Seafood Scotland’s call to reopen their wet fish counters, that should be the start. Instead of selling imported fish, they should instigate positive discrimination in favour of Scottish seafood. And the wholesale sections of the industry should also concentrate on selling to the home market.

In the longer term, even when the current crisis is over, this would have positive benefits. The white fish sector in particular has suffered under quotas imposed by Europe under the Common Fisheries Policy in recent years, but this is hardly likely to end with Brexit. Remember that the four biggest importers of fish from the UK are all EU members – France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Spain.

While fishing is an important industry in Scotland, and in particular the north-east and the Highlands and islands, it is a pretty insignificant fraction of the overall UK economy, around 0.05%. Who knows what concessions on fishing the UK Government may make with a simple shrug of the shoulders when negotiations restart in earnest?

The Scottish Government last month announced a £5 million package of financial support for the industry, but in the current circumstances this is a mere drop in the ocean. Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing admitted as much, saying that there was little chance of a recovery any time soon and that more needed to be done. He said alternative markets had to be explored and he appealed to the Scottish public to buy Scottish seafood if they could.

But therein lies the problem. Most people don’t buy their fish from a fishmonger. They buy it as part of the regular shopping at a supermarket. And if the supermarket has closed its wet fish section, what then?

So the reopening of supermarket fish counters would be a good start. Then there has to be a government-backed campaign highlighting the benefits of eating fish, particularly those high in Omega-3. According to the UK department of health, we should eat at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily fish such as salmon or mackerel.

The industry faces what has been described as a perfect storm in the coming weeks and months, with the coronavirus crisis compounded by the danger of Brexit negotiations.

We are never likely to return to my regular childhood fare of tatties and herring, or ever see again the days of the drifter and the ring-netter of my uncle’s time, but we should all be doing what we can to help our beleaguered fishing communities. And that includes a resolution to eat more Scottish-caught fish.

Campbell Gunn writing in the Press and Journal is a retired political editor who served as special adviser to two first ministers of Scotland

Fish To Your Door campaign launches #NHSFishFridays with up to 50% off for Cornish NHS heroes

Seafood Cornwall’s #FishToYourDoor campaign introduces new initiative, securing big discounts for NHS staff and celebrating the best of Cornish fish.

Cornwall, UK - Responding immediately to the impacts of COVID-19 on the seafood supply chain, county-wide promotional platform Seafood Cornwall launched the #FishToYourDoor campaign to connect Cornish households with fresh fish and keep fishermen going to sea. 

With more than 40,000 customers reached within the first few days of the campaign in early March, #FishToYourDoor has gone from strength to strength, adding new merchants to a growing list of sellers with delivery capacity, and promoting fishers selling direct from their boats.

Since launching, #FishToYourDoor has brought over 3,500 new customers to affiliated merchants and received a stream of delighted feedback from people trying local Cornish fish, fresh from the merchant, for the first time.

Looking to support key workers on the front line of Covid-19 #FishToYourDoor is introducing #NHSFishFridays as a thank you to Cornish NHS heroes. The campaign has secured unparalleled discounts from six key merchants - offering a wide range of the 40+ seasonal fish and shellfish species available around the Cornish coast. Discounts range from 25% to a huge 50% and affiliated merchants are kindly offering free delivery.

Louis Smart, from South Coast Fisheries, one of the merchants involved in the scheme, said: “Our NHS workers have been working day and night to care for everyone’s loved ones. We wanted to do our bit to show our appreciation so we’re saying thank you in the best way we know how, through the delivery of fresh Cornish fish!”

Securing an #NHSFishFridays delivery is simple - the only requirement is that orders are made using an NHS email address, and that NHS customers live and work in Cornwall. This scheme will run every Friday from 15th May (when it launches) until 29th May 2020. Take a look at the Seafood Cornwall website to see what businesses are involved and how you can set up your Fish Friday order.

Have YOU had a #FishToYourDoor delivery and cooked up a storm with Cornish fish? We'd love to see the results! Send us your cookery pictures, your recipe tips and your #NHSFishFridays fish box selfies!