Amy goes Gill netting.

After her cutting her fishing career teeth aboard the sardine boat Golden Harvest Amy has just completed her first trip gill netting...

 for hake aboard the Joy of Ladram fishing some fifty miles south west of Newlyn...

and here she is telling the story of that first trip in her own words.

EU fisheries can only sustainably manage fish stocks if they are accurately measured

Our regular #Spanish friend landing (probably under No @The_MMO supervision) #UkWaters 🐟 into #EU transport!! #BrexitBallsUp @MPGeorgeEustice @DerekThomasUK @DefraGovUK @DavidGHFrost pic.twitter.com/4RW8R730rq

— NewlynFishing (@NewlynFishing) March 9, 2021

As another UK flagged Spanish trawler lands her catch to a waiting lorry which will transport her fish back to Spain:

This week, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will take part in a vote that will prove crucial for the future of our seas and the communities that depend on them.

This vote aims to amend the Fisheries Control Regulation, the EU system for monitoring, inspection and enforcement of fisheries in EU waters and the global operations of the fishing fleet of the EU. The control regulation is essential to enable fishermen, policy makers and civil society to count the fish caught in our seas and to monitor the impact of fishing activities on fragile marine ecosystems.

Any changes to these regulations should improve the sustainability and long-term prospects of our ocean and fishermen. However, if MEPs vote to accept all of the revisions currently being proposed by the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries (PECH), they could endorse a step backwards for EU fisheries policy.

For example, the PECH Commission proposal to increase the margin of error in reporting catches by the fishing industry could lead to massive under-reporting and overfishing and could allow up to two-fifths of the fish caught. in the EU not to be counted. This would completely undermine the EU’s biodiversity strategy and undermine the EU’s credibility as a global leader in ocean governance, including its zero tolerance approach to illegal fishing, unreported and unregulated (IUU) by countries outside the EU.

Another example concerns the committee’s proposal to reject the mandatory use of electronic technology, such as CCTV cameras, to help record fish catches, despite their successful adoption, and significant financial benefits for fishermen who do so. use in Europe and other jurisdictions such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.

By adopting these methods, the EU Fisheries Control Regulation has the potential to make responsible and sustainable fishing possible in EU seas; provide not only a complete record of fish caught, but also the impact of fishing activities on sensitive and protected species such as marine mammals and seabirds.

A decision not to adopt these new technologies could see the EU fisheries sector missing out on job creation opportunities and the digital and green transition of the EU Green Deal.

The Control Regulation has been the cornerstone of the Common Fisheries Policy since 2010. However, significant weaknesses or gaps were identified by the European Court of Auditors in 2017, which called for more efforts in the control of EU fisheries, including the reliability of reported catch data.

On Wednesday, it is imperative that MEPs from all European countries vote in favor of amendments ensuring that our monitoring system accurately counts the fish in our seas and measures the impact of fishing activities on our fragile marine ecosystems. By supporting the use of these new monitoring tools, MEPs can help ensure a transition from the European Green Deal towards sustainable fisheries, healthy seas and thriving coastal communities.

The European Coalition for Fisheries Control, made up of non-profit organizations across Europe, calls on MEPs to support four key measures during the vote on the revision of the control regulation on March 10:

● Remote electronic monitoring (REM) must be made compulsory, to ensure accurate records of everything we catch, including sensitive and protected species. The REM, which includes the use of on-board cameras, is internationally recognized as a reliable, cost-effective and scalable way to support well-managed, responsible and sustainable fisheries.

● Keep track of unwanted catches, including protected and sensitive species. Dolphins, seabirds, turtles and other susceptible species die in the thousands every year due to accidental catches in EU fishing nets. By recording where and when bycatch takes place, fishermen across the EU can participate in finding solutions.

● Make sure every fish caught is taken into account. This measure runs counter to a proposal by the PECH Committee to increase flexibility that would allow up to two-fifths of catches to go unreported in official records, completely undermining accountability and accurate reporting of catches.

● Ensure transparency of EU Member States on how they control their fisheries. This measure aims to change the current scenario from a scenario where Member States can currently veto the disclosure of fisheries information for no reason, to a scenario where full transparency is required.

The EU Fisheries Control Coalition is a leading NGO alliance that works with organizations and individuals across Europe to ensure a fisheries control system that protects ocean health and resources. navies for generations to come.

Bugaled-Breizh: they hope for "the right course" for the Inquest.

 

(Photo Le Télégramme / Pascal Bodéré) 

Dominique Launay, Jacques Losay and Thierry Lemétayer are counting on their new lawyers to convince the English courts to dismiss the report of the Sea Accident Investigation Bureau which retained the hypothesis of a soft crookedness. This Friday, March 12, relatives of the sailors who disappeared in the sinking of the Bugaled Breizh will be connected to the London court where the English investigation restarts. Their goal: to revive the hypothesis of the involvement of a submarine in the drama. Dominique Launay, Jacques Losay and Thierry Lemétayer are counting on their new lawyers to convince the English courts to dismiss the report of the Sea Accident Investigation Bureau which retained the hypothesis Dominique Launay, Jacques Losay and Thierry Lemétayer are counting on their new lawyers to convince the English courts to dismiss the report of the Sea Accident Investigation Bureau which retained the hypothesis of a soft crookedness. 

Bugaled Breizh  entering Newlyn

While waiting for the “Inquest” which is to be held next October, this Friday hearing is one of the last occasions for the relatives of the missing sailors to make their conviction heard: on January 15, 2004, it is a submarine which caused the sinking of the Bugaled Breizh opposite Cape Lizard, during anti-submarine warfare exercises by NATO and Royal Navy forces.

Rule out the BEA Mer hypothesis

It is the judges of the London court, where the proceedings were relocated, who will thus hear the arguments of those close to the Bugaled. The families of Yves Gloaguen and Pascal Le Floch, the two sailors of the Bugaled whose bodies had been recovered from British waters, will be represented but open hearings will be allowed via an internet connection. "We hope that British justice will finally take the right course", launch Jacques Losay, director of the film "The silent killer", Thierry Lemétayer, son of Georges (who disappeared in the drama) and Dominique Launay, president of the SOS Bugaled association -Breizh.

All three will be connected on Friday. They are counting on their new lawyers, French and English, to convince the English courts to dismiss the report of the Sea Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA Mer), to date held across the Channel. A report which explains the sinking by a soft hook of the Bugaled's fishing tools in the sand of the seabed, a burial. “As if a heavily loaded trawl could softly stop a 150 ton boat!“. Ironically those close to him, recalling that this report from the BEA Mer had created an outcry in the maritime world when it was released in 2006.

Hear the commanding officer of HMS Turbulent Relatives of the victims therefore hope that their lawyers will convince the British to investigate the involvement of a submarine. If they do not rule out the hypothesis of the involvement of an American spy vessel, they especially hope for a new consideration of the elements concerning HMS Turbulent, SNA of the Royal Navy long suspect number one. The Bretons would like the commander at the time, Andrew Coles, to be heard, the commander who had advised them to question the crew of the French submarine Le Rubis "to find out more". They also want new investigations on HMS Dolfijn, the Dutch SNA seen in the area and whose men may not have said everything,

Dossier on the case of the Bugaled Breizh

Fishery Protection vessel boards Dutch seine netters south of the Scillys.

After being given the go-ahead to board EU vessels it looks like the Fishery Protection vessel may have paid a visit to...

 

the Dutch seine netters Lub Senior...

and UK150 Polar this morning after they had both returned to fish south of the Scillys after they landed their previous trips into Cherbourg over the weekend.

The Fisheries Management and Innovation Group

The Fisheries Management and Innovation Group brings people together to discuss and share knowledge on catching sector issues.

This group was formerly the Discard Action Group and was originally set up as a forum for the discussion of industry-wide problems relating to discards. 

The FMIG provides a safe meeting space to discuss the key challenges facing the catching sector. The three key areas for discussion are: legislation and regulation, stock assessment issues and how to introduce new technology.

People take part to keep-up-to-date with the latest developments, to be part of a cross-industry discussion and listen to the issues raised by other parts of the industry. They can also raise their own issues, present new ideas, network with other people or make new contacts.

The group is led by our industry and we take responsibility for running the FMIG. The Group has met twice a year since 2009. The FMIG brings together people who represent the catching sector, as well as the retail, food service and restaurant industries. Other people who attend are not-for-profit environmental voluntary groups, consumer groups, government, scientists and industry bodies.

FMIG meetings and bite-size meetings

There are generally two meetings a year. The presentations and minutes from the most recent meetings are below. Presentations and minutes from previous meetings are available from Karen Green.

Due to COVID-19 we are running shorter online bite-size FMIG meetings in 2020 and 2021. 

Next meeting

Tuesday 13 April 2021. 2pm to 3.30pm. Topic and speakers to be confirmed. For further information contact Karen Green 

Massive trawling effort west of Ireland.

The are around 80 large trawlers...

mainly from France, Ireland, Norway, Spain and the Faroes working the Porcupine Bank...

and a fleet of much larger pelagic boats working the deep water a few miles off the edge of the continental shelf...

including the largest trawler in the world, the infamous 144m Annelies Ilena...

while at the northern end of the `Porcupine the Irish research ship Celtic Explorer is heading west.

The end for some in UK Fishing?

 

Martin Laity is a shellfish merchant in Falmouth, Cornwall whose business has been devastated by Brexit. Since January he has seen a 99% drop in his business and has been forced to lay off 50 staff because of problems with paperwork and the inability to export his product to Europe. 

He lays the blame squarely on Brexit and its implementation, telling Byline TV his business was actually managing to continue trading and even seeing an uptick in sales despite Coronavirus. He voted Remain having foreseen problems of this nature but says he didn't even expect the situation to be this dire. Now like many others in coastal towns, he is worried about the future for thousands of hard working fishermen who feel they have been thrown to the wolves.

Follow BylineTV on Twitter