The editor of BC Radio 4's Business Programme told Through the Gaps many years ago that sge found the fishing industry to be the most complicated and least understood of all the sectors in the British economy that she covered. This extract from the fishing debate in the House yesterday is a perfect illustration of the such complexity in the industry:
Barry Gardiner (Brent West) (Lab)
I want to clarify something in relation to pollack. My understanding is that the scientific advice given out in June was that the total allowable catch should be set at zero, but it was not set at zero. The quota was set at 925 tonnes; even now, the stocks are much lower this year because the decision was not in line with the scientific assessment.
Andrew George (St Ives, Cornwall)
I will come to that in a second. The nature of what happens off the Cornish coast, and certainly in the south-west and other areas, is that pollack is caught in a multispecies environment. It is impossible not to catch pollack even when targeting other species—the hon. Member helps me to make the point—so my constituent went and targeted hake. The first thing to bear in mind is this. While he was targeting pollack, he was between 8 and 20 miles off the coast. To target hake, he had to go 40 miles or beyond, and that placed his small boat in significantly greater danger. In other words, it put him at greater risk to pursue an alternative fishery. That is point No. 1 to bear in mind.
The second point is that there is a pollack by-catch if someone is targeting hake. During one month—March of last year—my constituent caught more than 100 kg of by-caught pollack, which he was entitled to land in the market. Indeed, he was required to land it in the market; he could not throw it overboard. He was obliged to land this fish, as a result of which his licence was frozen by the Marine Management Organisation. Following some dispute, he was fined £1,000, and he then had to move out of that fishery. Of course, he was not targeting pollack at the time; he was trying to avoid it as best he could. The MMO did not offer him any kind of solution to the problem that he found himself with.
As a result of all that, my constituent has come out of that fishery and has since been targeting crawfish, of which the industry itself had undertaken voluntary measures to increase the minimum size and to help to recover the stock. Indeed, the minimum size proposed by the industry and implemented in Cornwall has since been picked up, adopted, in national legislation. The crawfish season is now over, so we now have a fisherman who has tied his boat up and is no longer able to fish.
The point is that I hope that the Minister, when looking at this issue, bears in mind that when we propose regulation affecting the industry, that is in effect a two-dimensional policy affecting three-dimensional reality. That is the problem. I hope that the Minister will reflect on the lessons learned just from that little anecdote when considering how policy is implemented, and on the unintended detrimental consequence. The measure does not actually help even the species that it is supposed to protect.
I hope that we are not coming back here in 10 years’ time, gnashing our teeth about the same issues and continuing this annual bunfight in which we do not even know what the quotas will be in just a few weeks’ time; I hope we have multi-annual quotas. One of the best ways of helping the industry is to provide it with all the capacity to manage itself better and for us politicians to try to stand back and keep out of it.
The transcript from the Fisheries Debate in Hansard is available here - use key words to find a subject you want to know more about that saves reading the whole document use CRL+F.
A summary of each contributor is here:
The debate on the UK fishing industry featured contributions from various Members of Parliament, each addressing different aspects of the industry, its challenges, and its significance. Here’s an overview of the key contributions:
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Caroline Voaden (South Devon): Voaden emphasized the cultural and economic importance of fishing to coastal communities. She paid tribute to those who have lost their lives at sea and highlighted the need for better support for fishing communities, criticizing the previous Conservative Government for failing to deliver on promises made during Brexit.
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Seamus Logan (Aberdeenshire North and Moray East): Logan raised concerns about visa issues affecting fishers, both within and outside the 12-mile zone, stressing the need for a resolution to support the workforce in the fishing industry.
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Harriet Cross (Gordon and Buchan): Cross spoke about the nutritional benefits of fish as a low-carbon, high-protein food source and advocated for increased consumption of fish in the UK.
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Melanie Onn (Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes): Onn passionately discussed the importance of promoting fish and seafood throughout the food chain and highlighted the local food-processing industry in Grimsby. She also praised the UK seafood fund aimed at supporting the industry.
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Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth): Kirkham referred to Cornwall’s fishing heritage and raised concerns about the classification of Pacific oysters as an invasive species, arguing for a reconsideration of this decision.
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Torcuil Crichton (Na h-Eileanan an Iar): Crichton focused on safety in the fishing industry and the need for appeals for quotas, representing the unique perspective of island and rural communities.
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Daniel Zeichner (Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs): Zeichner acknowledged the contributions of various speakers and emphasized the government's commitment to a sustainable fishing industry. He highlighted the importance of collaboration with the fishing sector to develop effective policies and mentioned the opportunities arising from the UK’s departure from the EU.
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Mr. Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland): As the Chair of the Select Committee, Carmichael expressed gratitude for the debate and noted the importance of understanding the challenges faced by the fishing industry. He indicated that the Select Committee would review the discussions and findings from the debate.
Overall, the debate underscored the significance of the fishing industry to the UK’s economy and cultural heritage, while also addressing pressing issues such as safety, sustainability, and the impact of Brexit. There was a consensus on the need for better policies and support for fishing communities, as well as a commitment to improving safety and sustainability in the industry.
Here’s an overview of the contributions made by each speaker in the debate, along with specific points of reference from the document:
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Caroline Voaden (South Devon):
- Voaden highlighted the cultural and economic significance of fishing to coastal communities, stating, "Fishing is a subject of huge importance to us Liberal Democrats, not only because of the industry’s economic significance but because of its cultural heritage" .
- She criticized the previous Conservative Government for failing to deliver on promises made during Brexit, asserting that fishing communities were "deeply let down" .
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Seamus Logan (Aberdeenshire North and Moray East):
- Logan raised concerns about visa issues affecting fishers, emphasizing the need for resolution, stating, "the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East talked about resolving the visa issue for fishers" .
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Harriet Cross (Gordon and Buchan):
- Cross spoke about the nutritional benefits of fish, noting its role as a "low-carbon, high-protein food source" and advocated for increased consumption of fish in the UK .
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Melanie Onn (Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes):
- Onn passionately discussed the importance of promoting fish and seafood throughout the food chain, praising the "brilliant local food-processing industry up in Grimsby" .
- She also highlighted the £100 million UK seafood fund introduced by the Conservative Government to support the sustainability of the UK fisheries sector .
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Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth):
- Kirkham referred to Cornwall’s fishing heritage and specifically mentioned the Fal oysters, urging the Minister to reconsider the classification of Pacific oysters as an invasive species, arguing that "they are heading our way anyway" .
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Torcuil Crichton (Na h-Eileanan an Iar):
- Crichton focused on safety in the fishing industry, discussing the importance of appeals for quotas and representing the unique perspective of island and rural communities .
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Daniel Zeichner (Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs):
- Zeichner acknowledged the contributions of various speakers and emphasized the government's commitment to a sustainable fishing industry, stating, "we have established a good structure to look to the future—a much better way than in the past" .
- He also discussed the importance of collaboration with the fishing sector to develop effective policies and mentioned the opportunities arising from the UK’s departure from the EU .
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Mr. Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):
- As the Chair of the Select Committee, Carmichael expressed gratitude for the debate, noting that "we have had a genuinely excellent debate" and indicated that the Select Committee would review the discussions and findings from the debate .
Overall, the debate highlighted the significance of the fishing industry to the UK’s economy and cultural heritage, while addressing pressing issues such as safety, sustainability, and the impact of Brexit. There was a consensus on the need for better policies and support for fishing communities, as well as a commitment to improving safety and sustainability in the industry.
