Welcome to Through the Gaps, the UK fishing industry's most comprehensive information and image resource. Newlyn is England's largest fish market and where over 50 species are regularly landed from handline, trawl, net, ring net and pot vessels including #MSC Certified #Hake, #Cornish Sardine, handlined bass, pollack and mackerel. Art work, graphics and digital fishing industry images available from stock or on commission.
Sunday 22 November 2020
Best Practices to Prevent and Reduce abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear
Saturday 21 November 2020
World Fisheries Day.
From Friday night when the guard ship Rover Alpha arrived...
to Saturday morning when the Millenia headed back to berth...
work continued on the Billy Rowney...
her beams getting a makeover...
to the Ajax, now back home after a huge post-fire repair job on the wheelhouse...
the guard ship in daylight...
to the aluminium deck plating being prepared...
to go aboard Rowse's latest crabber, Francesca...
an ex-trawler undergoing a huge makeover for potting...
a short video reminder that the 21st of November is World Fisheries Day.
URGENT CALL TO FISHERMEN FOR INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE ON FISHING RELATED ISSUES
- Loss of Bass Fishing Entitlement
- Share Fishermen Status and negative impact on any Benefit Entitlement
- Lack of Entitlement to Industrial Injury Scheme
- Ineligibility of Fisheries Response Fund payment and Appeal Procedure for FRF
- Any difficulties encountered by Fishermen with Vessel Monitoring Scheme (VMS or IVMS - where applicable)
- Any regulatory challenges Fishermen struggling to tackle with Regulator(s) Debt difficulties faced due to lack of fishing during winter of 2019 and/or Covid19 measures and impact on fish sales
- Problems with CatchApp recording and any support requested or required for compliance purposes
Thursday 19 November 2020
Fathom 29: Preparing for the 1st January with the MMO
We’re deep into November, and the tumultuous, exhausting year of 2020 is coming to an end. And who could be better placed to give an end of 2020 check-in, than Tom McCormack, CEO of the MMO. Tom joins us on the podcast with his top team Phil Haslam, Operations Director, and Michelle Willis, Finance Director, to outline a number of critical updates from the MMO that will help the industry navigate the UK’s fast-approaching transition to an independent coastal state.
It’s easy to get lost in all the Brexit jargon and overwhelmed by the plethora of changes happening this year. But as Tom says, ‘we want to focus first on what we know... the EU transition period is definitely ending on the 31st of December.’ He continues, ‘whether there’s a trade agreement or not, things will change. We need to be ready to fish in our own waters and in EU waters’.
Phil then gives an overview of how exporting and importing will change on January 1st. Exported fish will need catch certificates, as proof of legal and sustainable sourcing - to facilitate this process, the MMO are piloting an online platform on which fishermen can apply for catch certificates, and access useful services (including a 24/7 helpline) to support their applications. This week represents an iterative ‘warm up period’, allowing the industry to trial this Fish Export Service and give their feedback. We also hear about licencing, control and enforcement.
The MMO have been a vast source of support for fishermen throughout recent months, running ‘MMO outdoors’ for face-to-face support as the pandemic has unfolded. Michelle confirms that as of December 29th, support will be 24/7. Also to note is the repurposing of £800,000 of Maritime and Fisheries Fund (MFF) funding - which so far has been invested in winches, refrigeration, and health and safety projects, and to which new applications are encouraged.
There are a number of key things that fishermen should do now to prepare:
Register for the Fish Export Service if you intend to direct land in the EU, and join the dummy run to familiarise yourself with the system
Fathom guests
Tom McCormack, MMO Phil Haslam, MMO Michelle Willis, MMO
Useful links
Series of helpful guides
Support the show
MMO Brexit worries? - your chance to put your concerns and questions across in a zoom meeting in your area.
- North East and North West marine area Monday 23 November, 16.00 – 17.00 Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 916 961A2 0943 Passcode: 045361
- East marine area Tuesday 24 November, 13.00 – 14.00 Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 993 2545 0769 Passcode: 801319
- South East and South marine area Tuesday 24 November, 13.00 – 14.00 Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 928 2319 1608 Passcode: 005849
- South West marine area Wednesday 25 November, 11.00 – 12.00 Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 944 8805 4869 Passcode: 163457
Tuesday 17 November 2020
January 1st 2021 catch certificate chaos - Fishing leaders demand clarity from Defra.
Monday 16 November 2020
Brexit: Time to debunk myth of bad deal for British fishermen
In Ireland more than 16,000 jobs are dependent on fisheries which is worth an annual €1.2bn to our economy.
The UK has netted over €1bn in last 10 years as result of fishing rights negotiated by EU.
As Britain continues to promote a self-serving narrative around reclaiming its waters and doubling its fish catch after it has fully pulled up the Brexit drawbridge, it’s an opportune time to reflect on the significant gains which the UK has savoured while part of the European Union and its Common Fishery Policy.
It has suited the rhetoric of Boris Johnson – and others before him such as Nigel Farage – to emphasise how much better Britain can do alone and how, when it comes to fisheries, leaving the EU will be bonanza for UK fishermen.
The reality is the UK are in for one almighty wake-up call.
As a result of favourable fisheries deals negotiated by the EU with non-EU states since Britain joined the then EEC in 1973, the UK has netted more than €1 billion worth of additional fish above and beyond what they would have ordinarily been entitled to in the last 10 years alone.
It stands to reason that when you leave a club, you relinquish the benefits which that membership afforded. Therefore Britain cannot expect to retain benefits it enjoyed while an EU member in any future trade agreement.
Moreover, in all of the complex, multifaceted and what have ultimately become tetchy negotiations around fisheries, the UK has spoken boisterously of blocking its erstwhile European colleagues from its waters and doubling its catch.
It would be rank hypocrisy for the UK to expect to slam the door and hold on to its valuable wins that have generated €100 million annually for its fisheries sector since 2010.
North’s ports will find it ‘very challenging’ to be ready for Brexit changes Brexit explainer: What are the main sticking points in the talks?
The European Council has stated that if a deal is not reached on fisheries, there will not be a trade agreement. That’s how crucial this facet of negotiation has become for everybody, not just fishermen.
On one level, the UK’s demands are at best disingenuous, at worst dishonest and undeliverable. A nation cannot simply double its fishing quota. Fish know no borders and jurisdiction over waters does not equate to jurisdiction over fish.
Under the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention and the Straddling Fish Stocks Agreement, coastal states have sovereignty over the living resources in their territorial waters while simultaneously having a duty to co-operate for the conservation of resources shared with neighbouring coastal states.
The sea convention’s implementation agreement, in particular the aspect which deals with straddling fish and highly migratory stocks, establishes duties for coastal states and states fishing on the high seas. It reiterates the duty of these states to co-operate for the conservation of living resources. Furthermore, it is important to remember that state parties must apply the precautionary approach – and the obligation of co-operation between coastal states and all other states whose fleets fish these stocks in the adjacent high seas area. The doubling of the catch by the UK government would be in contravention of both the sea convention and straddling stocks agreement. The UK is a signatory to both these documents.
Why then is the UK making these impossible demands on fishing rights? Simply put, the issue has become totemic when it comes to Brexit. Neither side wants to give an inch on fisheries and it is probably the only negotiating space where Britain feels it has the upper hand. British fishermen have long complained that they have got a raw deal from the EU, ever since joining along with Ireland and Denmark back in 1973. This could not be further from the truth as a cool top-up worth €1 billion over 10 years attests. The time for debunking myths is nigh.
Muddle and bluff The European Council has given its fishing industry a timely injection of hope and confidence in mandating Mr Barnier to stand firm, thereby forcing the UK to make the necessary moves to reach an agreement on fisheries.
The council’s endorsement in mid-October comes at a critical juncture in the talks, with Britain continuing to muddle and bluff but ultimately remaining in negotiations.
Our organisation, the European Fisheries Alliance, which was established less than two months after the British vote to exit the EU, sets out to protect the interests of fleets from national organisations in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.
The alliance accounts for more than 18,000 fishermen and 3,500 vessels with an annual turnover €20.7 billion. We have spelled out repeatedly the catastrophic consequences which a disorderly Brexit would have for the thousands of people dependent on this sector across Europe.
In Ireland alone, more than 16,000 jobs are dependent on fisheries which is worth an annual €1.2 billion to our economy. More than a third of our catch is drawn from UK waters with an even higher dependence where stocks such as mackerel and prawn are concerned. Irish fishermen source 60 per cent and 40 per cent respectively of their catch of these two species in UK waters.
Our position remains crystal clear. We have continually stated that we will not sign up to anything other than reciprocal access to fishing waters between the UK and the EU as well as maintaining our quota shares and ensuring the sustainable management of the stocks.
These are absolutely paramount for the ongoing health of the European fishing industry. Now it is more important than ever that we do not blink. We must hold our ground and reach a deal to continue managing shared stocks in a sustainable manner. One that works for fishermen all over Europe, not just our erstwhile EU colleagues in Britain.