"Hi Larry, would just like to point out that the local Cornish PO has over 100 under 10m members, and their views are well represented by the PO.
One of the issue raised yesterday to the minister was for the local under 10 vessels to have their quota managed by the CFPO if they wished, rather than being managed by the MMO, as this would enable them to take their share of the quota as and when it suited them.It is wrong of NUTFA to say that, the under 10 have no quota, within English administered waters they have access to nearly 20% of the whitefish TAC for England.If you compare the monthly bulletins they have from the MMO for the under 10 sector, to those of us in the over 10 sector there is very little between the amounts available in both sectors.
The greatest problem we have is that by the government creating a two tier system you have one sector which has gone through a huge consolidation process, as opposed to the under 10's who have seen an increase in effort over the last 10-15 years creating over capacity. Government is struggling to know what to do with the situation they have created, the under 10's are struggling to come to terms with working in a managed sector in the last 3 years, and this is has not been helped by the misguided policies of NUTFA.
What is needed is for the industry to come together as one, as it should always have been and sort the problems out in a sensible way. By allowing the CFPO to trial management for the under 10s in Cornwall and work together for the good of all of the industry is to me a sensible approach and one NUTFA should listen to.We have also put to NUTFA that the CFPO would be happy to help them set up a PO in the southeast, to help manage their healthy quota amounts in that area and it would also give them a strong voice in the industry."
D Stevens skipper Crystal Sea II