Here's a great post on the NFFO website from Jersey small boat skipper, Don Thompson who discusses whether small boat fishermen get the representation they deserve - the lack of which undoubtedly led to last year's quota debacle when some inshore fishermen and fishing businesses were pushed to the point of collapse or beyond.
One comment stands out in his post:
"Few fisheries’ managers and decision makers are aware of the catastrophic impact to a small boat fisherman, of having access denied to just a single species, when that particular fish may represent his income for the next 6 or 8 weeks".Ed comment: Sharing information and often with MMO staff at every level is a must if situations like last year are not to be repeated with blanket bans on the landing of skate, ray and other fish impacting so disastrously on some fishing communities who are totally reliant on single species at some times during the year.
For the full story read here: