CALL FOR EVIDENCE: Six-month review on post-Brexit fisheries to be heard in the House of Commons debate.

 

Alistair Carmichael, Orkney and Shetland MP has secured a parliamentary debate on 13 July regarding the current situation faced by the fishing industry. Anyone with concerns and frustrations about the post-Brexit impact on fishing should contact his office 

Says Alistiar, "Six months have passed since we left the CFP, left the EU and left the frictionless trading relations we had before January. Fishermen and other businesses have felt let down by a government that promised a “sea of opportunity” but delivered only red tape and disappointment. 

Any responsible government would conduct a public review of its policy decisions on fishermen. Absent from any such accounting, it is up to us to take ministers to task and demand answers on what has become quite a comprehensive range of failures on fishing. 

I am calling for anyone involved in the fishing industry and related businesses to get in touch about their concerns so that we can make the strongest case possible - please contact my office by email or phone by Friday 9th July." 

Contact Alistair Carmichael by email.

Dob't forget to copy your own fishing constituency MP in on any emails that you send with specific questions that you would like answered at the highest level. Now is the time to ask!

Mackerel: A toxic cocktail of money, politics and fish

 

In the past few weeks, we have seen a wide press coverage of Norway's unilateral decision to increase its mackerel quota in excess of the shares that were previously agreed in the now expired 2014 coastal States Agreement. This decision has been met with anger, and is seen as being reckless, irresponsible, and risks jeopardising the long-term sustainability of the shared NE Atlantic mackerel stock.

Norway is now being portrayed in the media as being opportunistic, uncooperative, uncompliant, and not interested in reaching a fair and balanced agreement on sustainable fisheries management with its coastal neighbours. Most of the allegations presented in the media are inaccurate and lack context; the Norwegian Pelagic Fishermen's Association categorically reject these allegations and are of the opinion that the situation is not best resolved by waging "trench warfare" in the media, but by way of a constructive dialogue and cooperation. Failure to cooperate and reach an agreement will be damaging not only to the sustainability of the stock, but to our collective reputation as responsible managers of sustainable fisheries.

 
Allegations about Norway undermining international agreements fall on their own unreasonableness. From the outset, Norway has requested a continuation with regards to shares and zonal access. Norway was for the sake of peace, willing to continue with a share lower than what Zonal Attachment would have indicated, and at the same time grant reciprocal access to all parties to Norwegian waters. In short - Norway only requested a continuation of the previous agreement, no more - no less. One must ask oneself why this was so difficult for the UK to accept?

What Norway did – and why?

Let us start with some facts: When Norway decided to unilaterally increase its mackerel quota, there existed no agreement to deviate from; the now defunct coastal States Agreement of 2014 between the EU, Faroe Islands and Norway expired in December 2020, and neither the EU nor UK showed any interest in prolonging that agreement. When the Norwegian quota was increased there was no agreement to break, so the allegations of a breach are therefore meaningless.

 Throughout the Brexit proceedings, Norway has, on numerous occasions, emphasized the need for a resumption of coastal States negotiations on mackerel and other shared pelagic stocks. The 2014 tripartite coastal States Agreement on mackerel, would not have been possible without Norway's considerable contributions to accommodate the Faroe Islands and other coastal States; the fact being that Norway had to reduce its share, to the benefit of reaching an agreement with the other coastal States. In our opinion zonal attachment is a useful concept when defining and agreeing shares. Norway would not have accepted a reduction in its rightful share, if it had not been for reciprocal zonal access being an integral part of the agreement. Norway chose to accept a reduced share as it saw this as necessary to achieve an agreement and contribute to a more sustainable management of the mackerel stock.

 Whilst we fully appreciate the complexities of the Brexit negotiations process; we cannot accept that Norway is made the fall guy for the dissatisfaction felt by the EU and UK fishing industries with the EU - UK Trade and cooperation agreement on fisheries.

Fact: The difference between zonal attachment and zonal access

 Zonal attachment is an internationally acknowledged principle in fisheries negotiations. The term implies scientific estimates for the quantity of biomass, fish, in a given area in a given period. Zonal attachment is normally used as a criteria when the coastal States are negotiating sharing arrangements for migratory fish stocks.

 Zonal access implies that the parties can agree to allow mutual access to fishing activities in each other areas of jurisdiction. The motivation to allow zonal access may vary, but often involves factors that contributes to optimizing the fishing operation, both biologically and economically.

The question of Zonal Attachment (ZA)

The UK with its new status as an independent coastal State, has signalled that it is a proponent of the concept of Zonal Attachment as an aid to defining coastal state allocations of shared stocks. There have been reactions from Scotland suggesting that Norway should reduce its ZA share due to the fact that in recent years, Norway has fished a large proportion of its mackerel quota in UK waters. 

The reason for Norwegian vessels fishing their mackerel quota in UK waters is based purely on bio-economic and optimising fishing operations, and not on the lack of mackerel in the Norwegian waters. On the background of ZA, and the increasing presence of mackerel in the Norwegian water, then both the EU and the UK might want to consider reducing their respective shares. The changes in the migratory pattern and spatial distribution of mackerel into Norwegian waters have been substantial during the last decade; where ICES's International Ecosystem Summer Survey in the Nordic Seas (IESSNS) for mackerel, documents increasing abundances of mackerel in Norwegian waters. Surveys in later years also show a striking decrease in mackerel abundance in western areas, which also coincide with a considerable increase in abundance of both mature and juvenile mackerel in Norwegian waters.

The zonal attachment analysis shows a strong presence of the mackerel stock in Norwegian waters throughout the year. The IESSNS survey report from 2020 documents that 57,7 % of the mackerel stock are present in Norwegian waters in Q3. The reports from 2011 and onwards also show a yearly average of approximately 40 % of the mackerel biomass in Norwegian waters.

The Norwegian decision to unilaterally increase its ZA quota share is justified and anchored in science, and lower than the documentation from the IESSNS survey would suggest.

Time to be responsible!

At present the lack of a management agreement is not a direct threat to the short-term sustainability of the mackerel stock – but it may be in the medium to long term. This will be damaging for all parties. The Norwegian Pelagic Fishermen's Association therefore urge the respective industry groups and authorities to start collaborating to find an acceptable mutual solution to this totally avoidable and damaging situation. Our door will always be open to our nearest neighbours, with the intention of reaching a mutually beneficial agreement on the long-term sustainable management of the NE Atlantic mackerel stock.

Lena Brungot Senior adviser The Norwegian Pelagic Fishermen’s Association, and also Member of the Norwegian delegation in the coastal States consultations.

It's a grey sort of day for #FishyFriday in Newlyn

Yesterday the future was all orange...

today, it has gone all grey...

whereas, inside the fish market there's plenty of fish like these lovely lobsters to brighten up the buyers' day

and a succulent Mediterranean eight-legger...

along with seine net caught red mullet...

the odd greater weaver...

and the obligatory John Dory rush from young Mr Nowell...

while Tom picked up this cracking example of a Couch's bream...

the Enterprise landed some deep water gurnard for bait...

always a smile on Cap'n Cod's face...

not because of these lush lemons...

or these bass...

but the 40kg of mackerel he landed after a 4am start this morning...

the resident harbour seal doesn't often get to dine on lemon sole...

Cod heads back home to put his feet up leaving Graham and the boys on the Girl Pamela who featured in the Independent article on the legacy of Brexit for the industry in Newlyn...

their morning also started at 4am as they continue to scrape and clean up a string of pots they recovered after being months lost on the seabed...

two of the ports recent new builds side by side, the 42m beam trawler Enterprise lays inside the crabber Harriet Eve...

it takes two tankers to fuel the port's most powerful beamer with 30,000 litres of diesel fuel...

ring nets on the quayside, a sure sign that the sardines season will soon be in full swing...

 not much chance of seeing the sun today on the final #FishyFriday in June.

The Brexit deal and fisheries: the one that got away, again.

 

The profile of fisheries reached dizzying heights during both the Brexit referendum and the manoeuvres and negotiations that have rumbled ever since.

Flotilla in Newlyn on the eve of the Referendum

From the flotilla on the Thames just before the referendum, to Boris Johnson’s fish tie as the Brexit deal was finally announced on Christmas Eve 2020, wherever there was talk of Brexit, there was fish.

Supporters of Brexit, from fishing leaders to prominent politicians, spoke of a ‘sea of opportunity’ which would see the revitalisation of the British fishing industry and coastal communities, as the UK took back control of ‘our waters’ and ‘our fish’.

In contrast, we wrote on this website, over five years ago, that securing such benefits for the UK would be extremely difficult due to many fish stocks being biologically shared between the UK and EU, and the reliance of the British fishing industry on trade with Europe. So how does the deal measure up?

It’s fair to say the Trade and Cooperation Act (TCA) has not been well received by British fishers. The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations called it ‘miniscule, marginal, paltry, pathetic’. and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation ‘desperately poor’.

Small-scale fishers (under 10m vessels)

Small-scale fishers (under 10m vessels), a group who have long been disadvantaged in terms of catching opportunities, were particularly aggrieved about being ‘thrown under the bus’ in the Brexit deal.

One of the main sources of dissatisfaction is the UK’s share of quota for jointly managed fish stocks. Under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, the division of fishing quotas between the UK and other EU member states meant that EU vessels landed approximately half of the fish caught in UK waters.

In the Brexit negotiations the UK initially pushed to reclaim 80% of this amount, while the EU argued for maintenance of the status quo. The TCA ultimately delivered an extra 25% of the value of that catch to the UK, phased in over five and half years.

This increase in the UK quota share converts to a less than 10% increase in the UK catch overall, but more poignantly, the benefits are strongly concentrated in large offshore fisheries such as western mackerel, and herring and sole in the North Sea.

Quota shares for fish stocks important for small-scale inshore fishers have received almost no increases in quota, and they were particularly dismayed to learn that EU vessels are still allowed to fish in the 6-12 mile zone off the English south coast.

The UK fisheries minister, Victoria Prentis, had previously provided assurances that access to this area would not be part of the Brexit deal.

Further down the supply chain, processors and seafood exporters must be relieved that tariff-free trade with the EU was finally secured, when for much of 2020 a ‘no deal Brexit’ looked like a distinct possibility.

However, non-tariff barriers have so far complicated the export of seafood from the UK to the EU; export of live bivalves was also completely banned due to changes in the classification of British coastal waters.

This combination led to export delays and EU customers cancelling orders – in the first quarter of 2021 seafood exports to the EU dropped by 52%, and businesses closed down.

The Government claimed the issues were due to ‘teething problems’, but there is no escaping the fact that the UK seafood export market has fundamentally changed.

So were we surprised by the Brexit deal on fisheries? 

In terms of the modest gains in quota, not so much. Given the shared nature of many fish stocks, the importance of the EU seafood market, and the fact that any change was a loss for EU fishermen, it is difficult to see how much more could have been gained.

The continued access of EU boats in the 6-12 mile zone is more surprising, but presumably was offered as a last minute ‘sweetener’ to seal the deal.

However, agreeing to quota shares is essential for protecting the sustainability of fish stocks, so even small gains in quota are preferable to a situation of both sides setting their own level of quota and depleting shared stocks.

More good news for sustainability is that both the new UK Fisheries Act and TCA contain strong commitments to fishing within the maximum sustainable yield while applying precautionary and ecosystem-based fisheries management.

The UK also appears to be using increased control of its waters to advance conservation measures such as banning bottom trawling in a number of offshore marine protected areas. Time will tell if these early positive signs bear further fruit.

What does bear further examination is why expectations of a ‘Brexit bonanza’ were raised so high by many in Government, from the Prime Minister downwards.

We were not the only ones who raised concerns early on; a seminal inquiry by the House of Lords in December 2016 made it clear that negotiating the Brexit deal on fisheries would be extremely complicated, and that there was a strong link between securing a favourable trade deal and providing continued EU fishing opportunities in UK waters.

Our view is the same as five years ago: EU and UK fisheries are inherently interlinked and negotiations, even walking away, involve trade-offs with dramatic consequences that cannot be ignored.

When fish stocks are shared jointly with neighbouring countries, like most are around the UK, the only realistic options are to compromise on quota shares bilaterally or have both sides deplete fish stocks unilaterally. Negotiation, as the TCA shows, requires compromise.

It is also true that what is best for one industry may not be the best for all, and entire supply chains can fail based on their weakest link.

As the threat of a no deal Brexit that could have ended many fisheries exports loomed, the pressure to achieve a deal for the seafood industry became the highest priority. Lastly, while strong rhetoric and bold promises can be a successful political strategy, they are not without consequence.

The UK fishing industry has long resented EU decision making, but the reception to the TCA is not a promising start to this new phase for the UK.

Sustainable management of fisheries in multi-jurisdictional areas such as the North East Atlantic will only become more complicated in the future as climate change continues to alter the distribution and abundance of species.

The TCA will not be the final fisheries negotiation between the EU and UK so it is important that lessons are learned from the Brexit process. We may not always have five years to negotiate.

This Reflecting on Brexit piece is part of our #EUref5yrsOn series.

By Bryce D. Stewart, Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, and Griffin Carpenter, Independent Fisheries Consultant, Brussels, Belgium.

Spain has scratched 300 tons of the species in a barter with France

 

Fishing could, again, stop hake-free trawling from an exchange. It did so with the exchange it made with Portugal and, this time it has made a swap with France, Pesca intends to once again leave out the distribution of the bulk of the hake received to trawlers that have caught more than 60% of what they have allotted because there are others with a significant surplus that makes the consumption of the fleet segment in general stand at 35%. And again the Pescagalicia organization has attacked that resolution that, it hopes, does not materialize, since it would establish a "discriminatory treatment" towards some vessels of the fleet of the Cantabrian-Northwest bottom trawling census, explains Torcuato Teixeira , Secretary General Of the entity.

On this occasion, Spain has bartered with France to get more hake. It has scratched 300 tons of that species. Fifty have been obtained in exchange for 30 Cantabrian monkfish, a stock that, according to the General Secretariat for Fisheries, shows low global consumption by practically all fleet segments. With this there is no problem, because it is distributed among those who have put monkfish for the exchange. But the other 250 have been obtained by changing species that are not distributed: rays and bonito from the north, at a rate of 50 and 300 tons -although in the case of tuna, 220 have been lost when offsetting it with 80 from the swap with Portugal, and, in this amount is the dispute. 

As specified in the fees, 40% of the 250 tonnes of hake will be distributed according to the general criteria, while the remaining 60% (150) «will be allocated in a linear way to the vessels and groups of vessels with the highest percentages of consumption of their southern hake quota and, therefore, greater quota needs for this species, and also taking into account its consumption in recent years. 

In the opinion of Pesca, they are all in deficit. However, there is a fleet segment, which is trawling, with vessels that have temporarily transmitted more than 50% of their initial quota in the year, thus demonstrating that they do not have the same need for a southern hake quota as vessels that they do maintain initial quota percentages above that margin. On the other hand, there are two other modalities, such as bottom longline and flywheel, with vessels that have already exceeded 60% of their quota. Thus, it is among these ships that he proposes to distribute 150 tons of hake linearly.

Need and dependencyThe discrimination that Pescagalicia talks about is twofold. First, because they have already been excluded from the distribution of 60% of Portugal's quota. And because it does not take into account that there are units that do fish their quota, that do not exchange it, and that go by percentages of consumption in line with flyers and longliners. Boats that, they remember, were fishing for mackerel until now and have started to go to the bonito, so they are not so dependent on hake. Nor do they believe that the current regulations, which include the reduction of the effort in weighting, have been well applied. And, badly that it weighs, in that aspect the drag is a champion. A leader who, however, is not rewarded with hakes. Thus, Teixeira in the allegations shows that, for couples who need more space, the species accounts for 25% of their turnover, so the dependence is more than proven.

Furthermore, the situation is complicated, as the Ministry of Fisheries itself admits, because interspecies flexibility is not allowed; and trawling, as a mixed fishery, is at greater risk of choke than others.

Translated by Google-see original article in Spanish:

Celtic Sea - new fisheries technical measures

New Fisheries Technical Measures Following the conclusion of annual negotiations with the UK and the EU, the MMO provides an update on proposed changes to Celtic Sea Conservation measures.

New measures for all demersal otter trawls and seines in the Celtic Sea mixed fisheries are to be introduced later this year following the conclusion of negotiations between the UK and the EU on catch limits for shared fish stocks for 2021.

The measures are expected to enter force on 5 September and apply to all types of bottom trawl and seines (excluding beam trawls) as these gears have highly mixed catches including valuable non-quota species with bycatch of cod, haddock and whiting. Discussions on selectivity standards which apply in the beam trawl fleet fishery, where the gear used by a significant proportion of vessels is more selective than current selectivity standards, remain ongoing.

Technical measures have been introduced in recent years aimed at conserving cod, haddock and whiting in the Celtic Sea area. The UK government has undertaken a review of these measures with a view to further reducing unwanted catches of cod and whiting as well as deriving wider benefits to the improvement of selectivity for all species. Proposed measures to be introduced in 2021 will simplify rules currently in force and will extend to cover a wider area of the west Channel (ICES 7e), excluding waters of the crown dependencies. Outside of UK waters, vessels must adhere to EU Reg Art 15 of 2021/92 ‘Technical measures for cod and whiting in the Celtic Sea’.

New measures applicable in UK waters In order to allow for adaptive management, a new UK statutory instrument will revoke current Celtic Sea technical measures (Art9 of EU Reg 123/2020, EU Reg Art13 of 223/2019 and EU Reg 737/2012). It will provide for detailed technical measures to be introduced through UK and foreign vessel licences in UK waters.

A key change is made in the west Channel (ICES 7e) where a baseline of 100mm codends will replace current complex rules based on catch composition.

In UK waters of the inner Celtic Sea Protection Zone (CSPZ: ICES divisions from 7f, 7g, the part of 7h North of latitude 49° 30’ North and the part of 7j North of latitude 49° 30’ North and East of longitude 11° West), a baseline mesh size of 110mm with a 120mm square mesh panel will apply to demersal otter trawls and seines.

In the UK area of 7e,f,g,h,j outside the inner CSPZ, a baseline mesh size of 100mm will apply. A 100mm square mesh panel will also be required except in the area of 7e east of 5° west.

In the whole area (UK waters of 7e,f,g,h,j) a maximum twine thickness of 6mm single or 4mm double will apply and strengthening bags will be prohibited other than for vessels targeting Nephrops. Specific derogations will continue to apply subject to further evidence gathering and consultation:

The defined threshold for the Nephrops vessels (>5% Nephrops in the catch) will continue to apply and there will be specific technical measures/derogations for these fisheries.

Current measures for vessels targeting sole in the area of 7f east of 5° west will continue to apply.

Within the CSPZ vessels catching more than 55% whiting or more than 55% hake, angler and megrim may continue to use a 100mm codend with a 100mm square mesh panel. A new derogation will apply pending ongoing scientific assessment of the use of lighter twine in inshore fisheries.

Vessels operating otter trawls and bottom seines in the 12 nautical mile belt of 7f may use a codend of 100mm and a 100mm square mesh panel. In this circumstance the use of a square mesh panel will be optional.

Vessel operating otter trawls and bottom seines fishing west of 5 West in 7e (within ICES rectangles 28E3 and 28E4) or inside the 12 nautical mile belt of 7f, may use a codend of 100mm with single twine of maximum 5mm thickness. In this circumstance the use of a square mesh panel will be optional. This is conditional upon trial evaluation.

The measures are intended to be flexible and take account of any evidence that supports further derogations. Proposals for gathering evidence for further derogations can be submitted to the MMO.

The Government anticipates consulting on selectivity measures applying in the Nephrops fishery in the Celtic Sea later this year.

Square mesh panels must be fitted as per licence conditions.

  

Chart 1 Outside of UK waters, vessels must adhere to Art 15 of 2021/92 ‘Technical measures for cod and whiting in the Celtic Sea’ attached at the bottom of this document.

Timing It is anticipated that these new measures will apply from 5 September, at which point licence conditions will come into force.

Derogations will be kept under review at least every two years or in the light of any new evidence and further changes will be subject to consultation.

The timing provides three months to adjust to the new measures and businesses are advised to check with net manufacturers that supply will be available.

Subject to availability, funding may able through the Fisheries and seafood scheme for improved selectivity relating to the Celtic Sea measures. This applies prior to 5 September.

For funding information please email: FaSS.Queries@marinemanagement.org.uk

If you have any questions concerning these measures, you should contact the MMO on 0330 123 1032 or by email to info@marinemanagement.org.uk

Mizzly monday morning in Newlyn

Not the best day to be scrubbing off the hull and applying a coat of anti-fouling on the mizzly stat to the week - but then it is the summer solstice, flaming June the 21st and all that, the longest day of the year to boot...

things are much drier inside the fish auction chill rooms, with the turbot netter Celtic Dawn...

putting an excellent shot of Cornish turbot ashore...

leaving young James with just a few of these top fish for his weekend's work...

big ray also fell prey to the big tangle netter's gear...

while one inshore boat picked up a few creepy-crawlies...

the beam trawler Algrie weighed in with a good shot of monk tails...

Dovers...

and brill...

and this cracking one stone plus turbot...

these red mullet, iced and protected by cellophane film contrast nicely against the green boxes of the Stevenson fleet...

the Ygraine's tagle nets also picked up a good haul of brown crab..

to go with their turbot target...

while the gill-netter Stelissa stuck with catching MSC certified hake this trip...

and the odd bull huss...

these guys are tastier than they look, always worth trying out  different fish so if you see some onyour fishmonger's counter give the humble scad a go, good for the grill or BBQ, as soon as the weatherman provides us with the suitable climatic conditions...

why the spurdog got its name...

tub gurnard, sheer culinary piscine pleasure...

Newlyn, home of the hake and no doubt bound for Chelsea... 

not sure that alongside the old fenders is the best place for the 114 year old wooden sailing vessel Irene to be berthed...

while some sleep on...

seems Andrew is one of the few to tough it out this morning...

shellfish vivier transport has arrived to offload the Nicola of Ladram's brown crab catch...

glazing installed, decking almost finished, things are shaping up on the Argoe front.