As of today from defra:
Domestic Fisheries Management Reform
Fisheries play an important role in providing food, jobs, wealth and social/cultural benefits, particularly in some coastal communities. The small scale (under 10m) fleet has failed to thrive under successive management regimes, and it faces major challenges. Specifically, the current regime has encouraged an imbalance between capacity and fishing opportunities, putting pressure on smaller businesses and contributing to overcapacity, overcapitalisation and low profitability across the fleet.
Latest news on pilot community quota groups
As part of the Government’s plans for domestic fisheries reform, three voluntary pilot quota management groups are to go ahead to test the impact of a more local approach to quota management. These will be based in the ports of Lowestoft, West Mersea and Ramsgate.
These groups are currently working closely with the Marine Management Organisation to meet certain recognition criteria with the aim of taking on full quota management responsibilities from 1 May 2012, supported by three Coastal Liaison Officers (CLOs).
Three additional groups that have chosen not to take on local quota management responsibilities hope to continue to work together for marketing and development purposes and achieve many of the secondary objectives set for the quota management pilot groups.
The three pilots will generate invaluable information on whether or not the local collective management of annual quota allocations by groups of fishermen can be effective and generate added benefits for the members of those groups. Information from these pilots could play a critical role in our journey towards fundamental reform in placing English inshore fisheries on a sustainable footing, along with the rest of the fleet.
The attached information note contains more details about the pilots groups, including how quota has been allocated to them, and the realignment of consistently unused quota to increase the under-10m pool.
Full defra page here:
Information note on pilot community quota groups and realignment of unused quota (PDF)
