Welcome to Through the Gaps, the UK fishing industry's most comprehensive information and image resource. Newlyn is England's largest fish market and where over 50 species are regularly landed from handline, trawl, net, ring net and pot vessels including #MSC Certified #Hake, #Cornish Sardine, handlined bass, pollack and mackerel. Art work, graphics and digital fishing industry images available from stock or on commission.
The next meeting of the Advisory Board will start at 1:30pm this coming Thursday.
Because of Covid the meeting will take place via Teams online.
Interested members of the public are welcome to join the public element of the meeting to voice their questions and show interest. Please be mindful that there is a busy agenda and board member have a limited amount of time to get through the day's business.
Multi-milion pound budgets don't always come with the facts needed to make a case for responsible fishing.
Created as a student film project, Troubled Waters explores what has happened to our oceans because of our appetite for seafood, and looks what we can do personally to kick start a reformed fishing industry. This film was created by two students - Matthew Judge, who wrote, shot and produced the film, and Robert Drane who wrote and performed the original music used in this film.
The film was made as a part of research as a result of which study investigated the effects of a community-led temperate marine reserve in Lamlash Bay, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, on commercially important populations of European lobster (Homarus gammarus), brown crab (Cancer pagurus), and velvet swimming crabs (Necora puber).
Potting surveys conducted over 4 years revealed significantly higher catch per unit effort (cpue 109% greater), weight per unit effort (wpue 189% greater), and carapace length (10–15 mm greater) in lobsters within the reserve compared with control sites. However, likely due to low levels of recruitment and increased fishing effort outside the reserve, lobster catches decreased in all areas during the final 2 years.
Nevertheless, catch rates remained higher within the reserve across all years, suggesting the reserve buffered these wider declines. Additionally, lobster cpue and wpue declined with increasing distance from the boundaries of the marine reserve, a trend which tag–recapture data suggested were due to spillover.
Catches of berried lobster were also twice as high within the reserve than outside, and the mean potential reproductive output per female was 22.1% greater. It was originally thought that higher densities of lobster within the reserve might lead to greater levels of aggression and physical damage. However, damage levels were solely related to body size, as large lobsters >110 mm had sustained over 218% more damage than smaller individuals. Interestingly, catches of adult lobsters were inversely correlated with those of juvenile lobsters, brown crabs, and velvet crabs, which may be evidence of competitive displacement and/or predation.
The findings provide evidence that temperate marine reserves can deliver fisheries and conservation benefits, and highlight the importance of investigating multispecies interactions, as the recovery of some species can have knock-on effects on others.
Space Intelligence partners with Fisheries Innovation Scotland to explore how satellite technology can transform Scottish seafood
Fisheries Innovation Scotland announces a groundbreaking collaboration between space and sea, as it commissions tech company Space Intelligence to conduct ‘blue sky’ research into the potential for satellite technology to transform Scottish seafood. FIS, which brings together seafood experts, scientists and the Scottish Government to champion practical innovation in fishing, have recently commissioned a number of innovative projects - from the digitalisation of vessels, to quantifying the fleet’s carbon footprint - to bolster the sustainability and prosperity of the sector.
This latest project will see Space Intelligence conduct a pioneering review of the role that satellite technology could play in supporting Scottish fisheries - the first time a satellite technology company has supported the Scottish fishing sector in this way. Space Intelligence are specialists in Earth observation and transforming satellite data into ‘actionable information’, with a focus on supporting nature-based solutions to climate change - for example, by providing maps of changing carbon sinks and restoration opportunities.
As a company predominantly focused on forest conservation and land-based carbon stores, working in the marine sector will be a new venture for Space Intelligence too. CEO & Co-Founder Murray Collins PhD said,
“Technology obviously has a role to play in supporting the fisheries sector, as the sector looks to become more profitable, more sustainable and is improving people’s livelihoods. At the moment, there is a gap between what satellite technology currently does, and what the possibilities are. We will conduct blue-sky research, by reviewing what tech is out there and what could conceivably be developed to support the sector.”
FIS’ Executive Director, Kara Brydson described the unlikely partnership as signalling the “innovative, forward-thinking nature of a traditional sector often condemned as old fashioned ”. With Scotland being a global leader in seafood production, as well as a rising star in space exploration and satellite technology, the country is well positioned to foster novel collaborations between the two. Space Intelligence’s CEO, Murray Collins, explained that there are numerous ways in which satellites can drive transformational change in the fishing industry - from cutting edge ‘agile space’, whereby satellites are launched to perform bespoke research for specific challenges; to communication satellites that can track vessels, and land-mapping, which has so far mapped coral in tropical waters, but with potential applications to Scottish waters.
“The key,” Murray explains, “is that our research is driven by the challenges faced by the sector - rather than the technology itself. We want to explore the possibilities from systems that already exist, rather than reinvent the wheel.”
The challenge lies in communicating these high-tech, satellite solutions in a way that is useful and accessible to the fishing industry, so that fishermen and policy-makers can understand what these technologies mean in practice. The horizon-scanning conducted by Space Intelligence could then inform FIS’ - and the fisheries sector more generally - potential future work with satellite providers, from monitoring fish stocks to improve fisheries management, to improving safety at sea, and helping scientists understand the effects of climate change on the ocean.
Kara Brydson commented that “this project is the first of its kind. The Scottish seafood industry is modern and forward-looking and we’re excited to learn from Scotland’s satellite data analysts to support our future fisheries.”
Raising awareness is important but this documentary failed to get the narrative and facts right.
I don’t think I’ve ever been asked so much what I thought about a documentary than I have with Seaspiracy. It’s fair to say that this type of film, including all the gory archive footage, makes for gripping viewing. Although the subject matter is hard to watch, it’s eye opening to those who haven’t spent time working on ocean issues. But that’s exactly why it needed to get the narrative and facts right.
Instead, the filmmaker puts forward simplistic and sensationalist claims from start to finish. Seaspiracy ignores the real complexity of almost every issue presented, draws spurious links between things and has questionable research and research ethics. At times, it presents a picture of a heroic ‘white saviour’ in a cast of ruthless, murderous fishers, corrupt governments and NGOs, and evil Chinese vessels with enslaved crew working hard to deplete the oceans as rapidly as possible, taking food out of the mouths of poor Africans.
It covers a lots of issues that really warrant a 90-minute film each but are instead blurred together at 100 miles an hour in an incoherent way. It includes dolphin killing in Tiaji, Japan; dolphin bycatching in Europe; the impacts of plastic pollution on our ocean; the finning of 100 million sharks a year; labour abuses from Ghana to Liberia, Thailand and the UK. The hard reality is all the things covered are happening.
I wasn’t surprised it would highlight the worst cases, the most shocking footage and worst practises going on. After all, it is a film that wants to highlight problems. That being said, it is riddled with inaccuracies with just nuggets of truth. Understandably, fishers, industry bodies and experts in the field feel misrepresented, attacked and portrayed as an evil industry.
The first and most important fallacy the film propagates is that there is no such thing as a sustainable fishery. This is wrong, sustainable fisheries are common. Well-managed fisheries can be sustainable economically, environmentally and socially and there are hundreds of sustainably managed fisheries around the world. From small-scale fisheries in Madagascar, to sustainable shellfish fisheries in the UK, to India, Australia, Senegal and the USA. Fish are a renewable resource, and the claims made in the film that we will ‘run out’ of fish by 2048 have been firmly rejected.
A key point raised by an interviewee in the film is about the industrialisation of fisheries and the impact this has had on fish stocks and the marine ecosystem. This I agree with, but the film fails to talk about scale and why it matters for the fishing capacity and effort, because all fishing is not the same. It ranges from super high-tech £10 million factory freezer trawlers over 300 feet long fishing the mid-Atlantic, to tiny dugout canoes a few feet from shore feeding coastal people who rely on fish to survive. In terms of the impact on stocks and marine habitats, jobs and supply chain jobs dependent on the fishery and the sustainable livelihoods it can generate – scale matters a great deal. The issues are hugely diverse in terms of vessel sizes, fishing capacity, the gears and species involved as well as the social, environmental, and economic drivers.
For me, these are the biggest weaknesses in the film – it doesn’t talk about scale, about why fish can be part of a healthy diet and how heavily dependent coastal people around the world are on seafood. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), an estimated 59.5 million people were engaged in fisheries on a full-time, part-time or occasional basis in 2018, while 800 million people’s livelihoods were dependent on fisheries and aquaculture. The International Labour Organisation estimates that 15 million people work full-time on fishing vessels.
We are certainly having a major impact on the oceans through our consumption, global fish production reached 179 million tonnes in 2018 according to the FAO, with a first sale of US$401 billion. But the solution is not to stop eating fish and sustainable fishing is indeed possible.
As the UK charts a new course as an independent coastal state, we can ‘take back control’ of fishing to ensure it is done sustainably and fairly, setting a gold standard for labour in fishing. We can reduce the impact of fishing on the marine environment by defining, rewarding and incentivising low impact fishing, while respecting the rights of fishers and fishing communities.
The UK fishing industry was severely let down by the government, and needs support. We can move away from the industrial paradigm and fishing for commodity markets while keeping prices low through exploitation of people and planet, and instead try to create good jobs for the future of the industry. Management and enforcement of the law, making fishing safer, investing in the industry so that it can move away from a race to the bottom is the solution.
You could make this film about industrial farming, logging, energy, or a myriad of other things. Our industrial food system, rampant inequality and biodiversity loss are all massive, interlinked crises resulting from a broken economic system. The documentary assumes consumers choices are leading to unsustainable use of resource, when in fact the biggest driver is greed, profit and competition. Raising awareness for people who don’t know anything about the impacts of their own consumption is a good thing. But this needs to be done with accurate evidence, gathered ethically, and presented as much as possible from the points of view of those affected by the issues.
Local hydrographic survey company Ultrabeam were hard at work in the harbour today taking advantage of less than normal vessel movements...
with their latest survey vessel...
making her way around the inner harbour close to the Canner's Slip...
seen from three sides..
the multi-wheeled vehicle is able to traverse both land and water by virtue of its eight drive wheels...
recently, the company created this amazing 3D virtual model of the harbour...
there are some interesting developments underway in the harbour at the moment - if eating fish is your thing then this one is going to be something quite special - watch this space for more news on Argoe!!!...
meanwhile, despite the icy wind blowing through the harbour and freezing fingers the delicate art of sign-writing is in progress on the good ship Cormorant...
Additional quota for 2021 have now been allocated between fisheries administrations.
The government has announced the allocation of additional fishing quota between Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England.
The UK Government has today set out how additional fishing quota, secured through the negotiations in December last year, will be split between Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England in 2021.
Since becoming an independent coastal state, the UK has gained an uplift in fishing quota over and above what it had before leaving the EU. This uplift, estimated to be worth around £146m, will be delivered over the next five years.
This is equivalent to 25% of the value of the EU’s average annual historic catch in UK waters. The majority of this quota - 15% of the EU’s historic catch in UK waters - will be transferred this year and will now be distributed across the four nations of the UK.
This distribution of quota follows a public consultation held in October and takes into account the needs of our fishing fleet all around the UK. It will be allocated between fisheries administrations based on the previous track record of fishing activity in each nation and the principle of zonal attachment which reflects the areas where fish are present in UK waters.
This approach ensures the additional quota received will deliver benefits to fishermen and coastal communities across the Union. Full details can be found here.
Fisheries Minister Victoria Prentis said:
I am pleased to announce how we will allocate the additional fishing quota we have obtained from leaving the EU across the UK fishing industry.
As an independent coastal state we can now make new decisions on how we manage our fisheries. These additional fishing opportunities will deliver increased economic benefits to fishermen and coastal communities across the Union.
Fisheries is a devolved matter so each administration will now decide how to allocate their share of this additional quota to their industry.
As an independent coastal state we can now make new decisions on how we manage our fisheries. These additional fishing opportunities will deliver increased economic benefits to fishermen and coastal communities across the Union.
Fisheries is a devolved matter so each administration will now decide how to allocate their share of this additional quota to their industry.
Information on how additional quota will be allocated to the English fleet will be published shortly.
Negotiations with the EU and Norway are currently underway to determine catch limits for shared stocks. Once negotiations have concluded there will be further communications setting out fishing opportunities for 2021.
Today’s announcement delivers on the Government’s commitment set out in the 2018 Fisheries White Paper and our Fisheries Act 2020 to promote a more competitive, profitable and sustainable fishing industry across the whole of the UK, and to set a gold standard for sustainable fishing.
