On the back of the MMO's consultation on simplifying licences today are a summary of the 28 responses they received:
From the MMO to the very people for whom this has most effect - an inshore fisherman.
This impassioned plea from an Under 10m fisherman begs a number of pertinent questions for the MMO - not least of which is an acknowledgement of the role they now play in maintaining the social and economic fabric of many small coastal communities - it's as well to remember, for every one fisherman there are seven jobs dependent on that fisherman ashore.
We received 28 responses to this consultation.
Most respondents supported the proposals in the consultation. We are therefore planning to implement the changes proposed in the consultation. This means moving to a single licence category for over 10 metre vessels and another for vessels of 10 metres and under. Any under 10 metre licence that has been capped will remain capped. Where current licences hold additional permissions (for example shellfish permits) these will be carried forward onto the new licence. We will also:
- extend the lifetime of fishing vessel licences indefinitely
- remove the lifetime of entitlements
- remove capacity penalties
- remove the mismatch rule
The Marine Management Organisation will provide licence holders with further details of the changes before they come into force.
From the MMO to the very people for whom this has most effect - an inshore fisherman.
This impassioned plea from an Under 10m fisherman begs a number of pertinent questions for the MMO - not least of which is an acknowledgement of the role they now play in maintaining the social and economic fabric of many small coastal communities - it's as well to remember, for every one fisherman there are seven jobs dependent on that fisherman ashore.
"It appears that when the discard ban comes in they will increase quotas to partly make up for the discards, so why can't they increase quotas for the Under 10s who never received a fair quota allocation in the first place? Why should the Under 10s be capped with so called 'latent' capacity when they have the ability to increase discard quotas?
The Concise Oxford Dictionary, LATENT = DORMANT
So, if a fisherman is fishing on a regular basis his licence has not become 'latent'. The MMO's interpretation of Latent Capacity is to steal it off some boats and gift (monopoly) it to other boats so as to try to rectify their past mistakes
Have other EU Member States capped so called LATENT CAPACITY because they never issued or allocated the quotas correctly in the first place. LATENT CAPACITY is when a fisherman never goes fishing at all, if a fisherman is fishing on a regular basis then he is using his licence entitlement as in accordance with running his business in the way that he wants and can diversify into other fisheries when necessary.
To have some of his licence entitlement STOLEN off him under the guise of LATENT CAPACITY just so the MMO can try and rectify their past mistakes is unjustifiable and down right despicable. WHY are the over 10s and POs not having their so called LATENT CAPACITY sorted out as well?
Prejudice and discrimination towards the under 10's prevails. I believe it's just a ploy to get rid of inshore fishermen so as to glean more revenue out of aggregate, wind farm and tidal energy industries. The MMO also want to STEAL shellfish entitlement to make up for the fact that they have never introduced national quotas or pot limitations - another deplorable act.
HOW are the MMO going to take into account the Social and Economic wellbeing of small scale local fishing communities when this is set on a course for ruination and destruction?
MMO, how can you sleep at night?"