Through the Gaps! - Newlyn Fishing News Cornwall UK fish commercial fishing fish cooking and art

Sunday 12 July 2020

G E T T I N G Y O U T H B A C K I N T O F I S H I N G

"There's no job like it!"

Fishing is a gateway to a career at sea and offers a wide range of opportunities for those willing to put in the effort and build their skills in the maritime sector. However, the catching sector has an average age of above 50 years old, and with a lack of new entrants coming through the ranks, the recruitment and retention of fishers is now a significant issue. Despite widespread acknowledgement of recruitment challenges, over the last decade there have been minimal changes to the system of employment, education, and mentoring within the sector.

There remains no clear career pathway for school leavers to enter the industry, fishing opportunities are poorly communicated and industry-focused education programmes are non-existent. The role of a fisher is complex and can require extensive skills and knowledge in vessel navigation, deployment and retrieval of different gears, scientific data collection, boat maintenance, business management, the use of onboard hydraulics and powered machines, sea and weather conditions, and food safety standards. As a highly regulated industry, governed by complex fisheries management, fishers must also keep abreast of local and national legislation and need to know how to adapt to policy changes.

Industry members have stated that there is now an urgent need to professionalise the entry system to a career in fishing and set out to recruit, train and mentor new entrants to ensure there is a pool of knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced crew to carry the industry forward.

The Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation (CFPO) is treating this issue as a priority and has started to develop an apprenticeship standard for the fishing industry in conjunction with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. The CFPO are well connected with vessels, ports and processors and can match new entrants with appropriate work, depending on their geographic location, interests, and the type of fishery they would like to become involved with.

The CFPO and its members have spent the last 6 months leading on the development of a commercial fishing apprenticeship programme. This has led to the creation of a 'Trailblazer Group' that consists of a variety of employers operating within the fishing industry across the UK. The Trailblazer group is now at a point where it is consulting with employers and other relevant organisations who have not been directly involved, in order to seek additional input to the standard.

The following proposal sets out the occupational profile of a fisherman, as well as the duties, knowledge, skills and behaviours that they will possess. This outline has been developed by a diverse range of stakeholders, including vessel owners, skippers, crew members, CFPO Youth Board members, as well as CFPO staff and wider industry representatives.

Development of a fishing apprenticeship standard Consultation process As part of developing this standard the Trailblazer group are now sharing the development of the apprenticeship outline for comment from other employers and relevant stakeholders.

This process will be open until the 3rd July 2020.

If you would like to offer comment, suggestions and input on this proposal then please get in contact with Chris Ranford, via chris.ranford@cornwallrcc.org.uk, or 01736 362782

Friday 10 July 2020

Fishing negotiations going to the wire!

Fishermen don't want the UK government to sell out to the EU when we leave!

Fishing deal talks with the European Union could rumble on as late as December, environment secretary George Eustice told peers as he admitted the gap between negotiating positions “remained quite wide”.

Since the start of trade talks in January the EU has demanded “status quo” access to UK waters, which would essentially mean a continuation of the common fisheries policy – something that has been categorically rejected by Boris Johnson.

Mr Eustice, appearing before a House of Lords committee, said there was “still some way to go” in reaching an agreement but offered one note of optimism.

“Our sense is that there might be a slight change from the EU because I think they’re starting to understand the international law in this area,” he said. “I think they’re starting to understand that the starting point isn’t the common fisheries policy, the starting point is that we’re an independent coastal state”.

But he hastened to add that talks could run “as late as December”.

The Cabinet minister was later quizzed on the impact of a no-deal exit on the fish processing sector.

Scottish processing bosses warned last year that the industry could face a yearly bill of £34 million to export to Europe without a deal.

Mr Eustice said: “Although tariffs on exports are obviously always going to be unwelcome, it’s important to note that on the key species that we export, the tariffs are reasonable. “Farmed salmon from Scotland is a really big export and the tariff there is only about two or three per cent and on shellfish it’s an average of around seven or eight per cent. “We obviously wouldn’t want those tariffs if they could be avoided, but they would be manageable and certainly the message from the industry generally is: don’t sell out the catching sector on our behalf.”

More catch allocation means more fish, which means more opportunity for growth for my members.”

Aberdeen fish merchant Andrew Charles urged caution, he said: “The processing sector has over the last three decades been treated incredibly badly by all governments; it’s been taken for granted, it hasn’t been supported and it hasn’t been given an environment which would attract investment and allow it to thrive and prosper.

“We’ve lost thousands of jobs over the last 10 years, which has been a period of growth in the fishing industry, because of the lack of value government place on fish processing.” He added: “One of our biggest markets in the white fish industry, shellfish industry and pelagic industry is Europe. So we have to work together, we’ve got to find solutions and we’ve got to be able to trade back and forth.”

Jimmy Buchan, chief executive of the Scottish Seafood Association, added: “I have no quarrel with the catching sector because they have a journey that they are on, and, if successful, it will be to the benefit of the fishing industry in general.

“More catch allocation means more fish, which means more opportunity for growth for my members.”

European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. The comments came as talks on a deal resumed in London between EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and the prime minister’s Europe adviser, David Frost.

Mr Barnier said the negotiators are “working hard for a fair agreement” with the UK, including on the key sticking points of fisheries and the “level playing field” arrangements designed to prevent the UK undercutting the EU by lowering standards and increasing state subsidies.

Full story courtesy of the Press & Journal.

Thursday 9 July 2020

Fisheries APPG looks into welfare and wellbeing of coastal communities

Last week, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries held a virtual meeting to discuss the factors that affect the health and wellbeing of coastal communities, and how they are being addressed. The webinar was one of the APPG’s best-attended events to date. Five presentations and a subsequent Q&A led to a vibrant discussion on how policy, community and local initiatives can help improve the welfare of fishermen and their families.

Chaired by Sheryll Murray MP, the panel covered everything from the causes of welfare troubles, to solutions to tackling them, to personal stories of success and the difficulties along the way.

Fishermen face a range of challenges to wellbeing, some common to many industries and others felt exclusively by the fishing sector. “Not only is fishing a dangerous occupation, but coastal communities are at the forefront of social, economic, political and environmental changes that can have implications for people’s wellbeing,” said Rachel Turner of the University of Exeter. “These include impacts on mental and physical health, as well as on financial security, life satisfaction and social relationships,” she shared, drawing on her research into the causes of poor wellbeing for fishermen.

These hardships can extend to the entire community, including fishermen’s relatives and others connected to the industry. “Many coastal communities are among the most economically deprived areas of the UK,” said David Dickens of The Fishermen’s Mission, who kicked off presentations. “For fishing communities, uncertainty of income and employment, and the unique lifestyle pressures they face lead to a range of wellbeing issues including financial hardship, disjointed family relationships, and physical and mental health issues.” Many of these pressures have increased in recent months. “With so many uncertainties around the future of the fishing industry, on top of the pandemic, there has been an increase in anxiety and depression amongst this tight-knit fishing community,” said Peter Frewer of SeaFit’s FishWell project, who spoke about their on-the-ground work in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Speakers presented on a number of initiatives around the UK that are helping to address these issues. “Changes in service provision to fit the working patterns of fishers can help, and there are some great examples now of specialised provision such as quayside health and dental checks that are providing accessible services,” said Rachel Turner.

Natalie Belt spoke about one such project on the Holderness coast, where she works as a health trainer. “SeaFit, in collaboration with Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, is directly providing harbourside access to dental health, mental health and physio services including health checks delivered via a mobile health vehicle,” she says. Similarly, the FishWell project, also supported by SeaFit, uses on-the-quayside services to help fishermen address mental health issues.

There were a number of suggestions on the table about how things could be improved going forwards. “More flexible arrangements for fishermen and their families to access health and wellbeing services would be welcome,” said David Dickens. “So would better understanding of the particular nature of fishing work within social welfare policies, especially in ensuring that fishing families can access benefits readily for short periods - when poor weather or fishing limitations lead to financial difficulties.”

Since there are strong overlaps between financial security and welfare, supporting the UK’s fishing industry through consumption can have a positive influence. “Fishing communities would greatly benefit from the UK general public being persuaded to eat more UK seafood,” said Derek Cardno, of the Scottish Fishermen's Association, who shared his experiences at the meeting. “If demand does increase, coastal communities would require better infrastructure to keep the supply chain moving.” With significant changes underway for the UK fishing industry, ensuring that the wellbeing of the workers involved is a priority is crucial.

Contact: All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries Secretariat

secretariat@fisheriesappg.org

APPG on Fisheries Secretariat

Wednesday 8 July 2020

Home and Dry!

Just a handful of pics of local boats making it back to Newlyn to celebrate the release of the Home and Dry campaign video and website as featured on BBC Spotlight:

Here is the Home and Dry video in full - want o know more or how to help, head over to the Home and Dry website:

Who caught what, how much and where in the UK's EEZ?

Through the Gaps! - Newlyn Fishing News: A rare Irish visitor ...

New research estimates that of the almost 2 million tonnes of fish and shellfish, worth £1.7 billion, landed from the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in 2018, more than two-thirds of that total (or more than half by value) was landed by non-UK fishing vessels.

The research, carried out by Dr Ian Napier of the NAFC Marine Centre UHI based in Scalloway, Shetland, indicates also that vessels from the EU have been increasing the amount of fish they catch in UK waters at a much faster rate than the UK’s own boats.

Analysis of official landings data carried out by Dr Napier for Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) shows that between 2011 and 2018 vessels from the EU27 landed 60% more fish and shellfish from the UK EEZ while UK boats landed just 17% more, as catches in the UK’s EEZ increased “as a reflection of improved stocks across a broad range of species.”

For pelagic species such as mackerel and herring the increase was even more marked, with EU vessels landing 159% more fish from the UK EEZ over the same period compared with just 60% more for UK boats.

Simon Collins, SFA executive officer, said: “If ever there was a case for the UK escaping the iron grip of the Common Fisheries Policy, this is it.

“Not content with the fact that overseas vessels were already taking two-thirds of what should be a national natural resource, administrators have gunned the system to ensure that EU27 vessels in particular have taken the biggest share of the increase in catches that have come about due to stock improvements in recent years.

“The UK’s assertion of sovereignty over its own waters at the end of this year will allow us at last to address this outrageous imbalance. Independent coastal states cannot be pushed around in this manner.”

Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, said: “Dr Napier’s report draws attention to the growing inequity of distribution catching opportunity between the UK on the one hand and the EU27 on the other.

“It is this imbalance that the Scottish industry has campaigned steadfastly to bring to an end with the UK leaving the CFP and becoming an independent, sovereign coastal state with full control over access to our waters.”

Dr Napier’s figures also show that around half of the demersal or whitefish stocks caught in the UK EEZ in 2018 (a total of 250,000 tonnes worth more than £500 million) was landed by non-UK vessels.

Meanwhile, 1.4 million tonnes of pelagic fish worth £760 million was landed from the UK EEZ. More than three-quarters of this total volume (and two-thirds by value) was landed by non-UK vessels.

Dr Napier’s report is available here: https://www.nafc.uhi.ac.uk/research/statistics/eez-reports/eez-report-2020-07/

BENEATH THE SURFACE - Labour vulnerability in the UK fishing industry

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The Covid-19 public health crisis has exposed many weaknesses and vulnerabilities in how our economy is structured. Some of these vulnerabilities have for a long time been known but routinely ignored. Others have been exposed to wide public attention for the first time.

The fishing industry is an inherently vulnerable industry. Fishers chase a moving resource, are subjected to temperamental weather, and are bound by numerous policies to manage a public asset. With Covid-19 disrupting international supply chains and causing restaurant sales to plummet to zero, these underlying vulnerabilities have compounded. Alternative markets, such as direct sale to consumers, continue to be developed but are starting from an extremely low portion of sales.

Beneath the surface there is another set of vulnerabilities less recognised, but just as important, that relate to the unique structure of labour in the fishing industry. Most fishers have no set salary. They have no statutory entitlement to paid leave or sick pay. They have no workplace private pension. They have no minimum wage. Few fishers are members of unions. Migrant labour is increasingly being used at sea, but without work visas to rely on. Fishers are going to sea without a financial safety net. This labour insecurity leads to psychological hardship matched only by the physical hardship of working at sea. By per capita fatalities, fishing is the most dangerous job in the country.

Within the UK fishing industry many of these vulnerabilities are a well-known but unpopular topic of conversation. There is an overwhelming sense that this labour model is just ‘the way it’s always been done’. This is true, until it’s not. Core aspects of labour policy – from child labour laws to working hours, from minimum wages to women empowerment – are accepted across society but had to disrupt existing practices before they were seen as a societal norm. And it is not only our policies that change but also the world in which they are made. Neither shellfish exports to East Asia nor the web apps for direct sale fit the image of an unchanging industry. Even in a very strict sense the argument is not correct. In the 1970s, the deep sea fishing fleet in the UK operated with formalised labour and was organised into unions.

The UK fishing industry should not be resigned to accept the current structure of fisheries labour as an inevitable matter of fact. Like all social systems, the systems that surround fisheries labour are constructed and can be reconstructed. As Covid-19 exposes underlying vulnerabilities in fisheries labour, now is the chance to reflect, to learn, and to change these systems. There is also a strong appetite for change as post-Brexit fisheries policy is being developed and a new future for the UK fishing industry is being discussed. Fishing labour must be part of this future.

This briefing provides an overview of how fisheries labour is paid and organised and how this is situated in a broader economic context. Ideas are provided for new policies and structures onboard fishing vessels, in the self-organisation of the fishing industry, in fisheries management regulations, and over broader economy-wide policies.

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BY GRIFFIN CARPENTER, CHRIS WILLIAMS, EMILY SCURRAH

30 JUNE 2020