Overfishing is a solvable environmental challenge for the EU

Ministers should honour their commitment to restore Europe's fisheries by 2015 by making catch reductions this year

From fish and chips after work to smoked salmon at a Christmas party; jellied eels to Stargazy pie: fish is part of our culinary heritage.Overfishing is emptying our seas, ruining once profitable fisheries, and costing us dearly in reduced landings and lost jobs. Crucial decisions to be taken in a few days' time could determine whether or not generations to come will enjoy the dinner-table staples so many of us take for granted.

Tomorrow, on 18 December, UK fisheries minister Richard Benyon, will join his EU counterparts to agree on the 2013 catch limits for European fish. It is an opportunity for ministers to show resolve and set fishing limits that do not exceed scientific advice. Benyon should prove that he has the best interests of the UK's fishing industry at heart by supporting the restoration of Europe's fish stocks.

Also tomorrow the fisheries committee of the European Parliament will vote on reform of the EU's common fisheries policy. Members of the European parliament have the chance to take a stand on decades of chronic overfishing. MEPs, including the influential senior vice-president of the committee, the Scottish Conservative Struan Stevenson, need to lead the EU out of the wilderness of its failed fisheries policy, and hold firm to member states' 2002 international commitment to restore fish stocks to maximum sustainable yield by 2015. Overfishing is a waste of jobs and money, and if Stevenson wants to support the livelihoods of fishers and coastal communities he will need to support fish stock restoration.

In short, these two decisions by ministers and MEPs will be milestones in determining whether we end overfishing in and by the EU and, if we do, by when. With 62% of fish stocks in the Atlantic and 82% of fish stocks in the Mediterranean currently overfished, and catches in the North Sea down from 3.5m tonnes in 1995 to less than 1.5m in 2007, the situation is certainly challenging. But it is not hopeless; overfishing is the most immediately solvable environmental challenge facing the EU. There is the knowledge, experience, tools and public support to stop it. What is needed is the political courage to end 30 years of fisheries management based on short-term interest.

An example for the EU is the United States, where overfishing was made illegal in 2006 under the Magnuson–Stevens Reauthorisation Act. The ministers and MEPs involved in next week's votes need to show the same level of ambition as their US colleagues by setting limits in accordance with scientific advice and by calling for the restoration of fish stocks. Only this will guarantee the long-term profitability of Europe's fisheries and the future viability of our own fishing communities.

Last year, catch limits set by fisheries ministers exceeded scientific advice on average by 41%. In June, the European Commission issued a communication outlining the state of fish stocks, and has proposed fishing limits for 2013. Its assessment revealed that limits based on restoring fish stocks are already starting to deliver results, most notably in the Atlantic, where the rate of overfishing is going down. Cod stocks in the North Sea seem to be slowly recovering from the brink of collapse.

Ministers must honour their commitment to restore Europe's fisheries by 2015 by making the necessary catch reductions this year. Any claims that doing so is impossible in light of the economic crisis are counterintuitive; we cannot afford not to act, in order to make fishing more profitable in the medium term. A recent study by the New Economics Foundation, Jobs Lost at Sea, shows just how much we are losing – in terms of fish, revenue and jobs – by failing to do so. Restoring 43% of stocks in the north-east Atlantic would generate an additional €3.2bn (£2.6bn) a year (more than three times the current EU fisheries subsidy), and support over 100,000 new jobs, including more than 11,000 in the UK. The value of the catch in the UK and other fishing states would more than double, while prices for consumers would go down.

Benyon, Stevenson and their colleagues need to capitalise on growing public support and seize this historic chance. By voting to finally turn the tide on overfishing they would really give us something to celebrate this Christmas.

Story courtesy of Aniol Esteban from today's Guardian newspaper.

Benyon - Quotas 'will have negative effect'

Fisheries minister Richard Benyon MP says if cuts to quotas go ahead, "it will result in more discards".

Through the Gaps - 60 not out!

The decorations have been put up....

and a surprise cake makes its way to the table...

commemorating some key moments...

of some of those times at sea!

Stelissa'a new Newlyn home

Yet another fishing family prepared to invest in the future of fishing, the Newlyn netter, currently sporting her Lorient registration name and numbers...

has arrived in Newlyn.

Fishermen fear ‘one size fits all’ policy on discards

Westcountry fishing leaders warned a trial suggesting more selective fishing could be the key to ditching discards was too small to be representative of the industry.
According to research conducted by the Marine Management Organisation, carefully controlled fishing methods reduced the number of discards to virtually zero.

But Jim Portus, chief executive of the South West Fish Producers Organisation and chairman of the UK Association of Fish Producers, urged caution. He said the trial involved just seven Westcountry boats – an insufficient sample on which to build pillars of the new Common Fisheries Policy currently being hammered out in Brussels.

"This is too small a piece of information on which to base a big piece of legislation," he said. "We need to be very careful before applying this very small trial to a very big fishing industry."

The discard policy, which forces crews to throw away immature fish or species caught when a quota has been reached – regardless of whether the fish is dead or alive – is loathed as wasteful by both fishermen and conservationists.
However, the MMO reported discards of important stocks such as sole, cod, plaice, megrim and anglerfish were drastically reduced in the trials, which involved seven vessels from the Westcountry and 12 from the North Sea.
According to its research, in the Western Channel, a discard rate of 28% of sole caught was reduced to 0.1%, while a discard rate of megrim was reduced from 12% to 1.3%.

The MMO said the methods used could be an alternative way of managing the industry.

The boats taking part were barred from throwing away any of the species in the trials, including those below the minimum size. All had their quota limit raised for the duration of the trial and had to land all fish of these species that they caught, so they all counted against the quota. On-board monitoring equipment, including CCTV, was used to ensure the rules were obeyed.
Mr Portus said: "The results are good and they are worth considering. But what I do not want to see is a 'one size fits all' policy.

"Yes, we can have a trial of seven vessels but the reality is there is a myriad of different fishing vessels and fisheries out there.
"I am really worried that we will be taking a snapshot of a small part of the fishing industry. The results are good for seven vessels, but that does not mean to say they are good for 700 vessels or 7,000 vessels."
Andrew Pillar, fleet manager at Plymouth-based Interfish, which had three boats in the trial, said: "It's important that these trials have involved fishermen from the start to see how practical measures can improve selectivity and reduce discards."

He added: "We want to continue testing this concept with more species to see if it can make a long-term difference."

New ex-French netter steams for Newlyn

 

Not enough water in the gaps is keeping Mr Hosking and the boys from getting in Through the Gaps after their long steam from Lorient...

 

Two and a half hours to go...

The AIS tracks the boat after leaving Lorient.

There's a new netter heading for Newlyn! The Stelissa II is a gill netter from Lorient. She is a being brought home by the same family that own and skipper the Silver Dawn.

Government seeks views on proposed Marine Conservations Zones

The Government is pressing ahead with its plans to create Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) to protect the UK’s rich marine environment, Natural Environment Minister Richard Benyon announced today.

A consultation outlining the proposals for the first set of sites has been launched today, and will give coastal communities and those with an interest in the marine environment, the opportunity to have a say in its future.

The Government is proposing to designate around 10,900 km² of marine habitat in the first phase next year. The 31 proposed sites provide a home to a variety of animals and plants, such as corals, jellyfish and seahorses. The area, roughly three times the size of Cornwall, will mean these are all given greater protection.

Launching the consultation, Richard Benyon said:

“The UK has one of the world’s richest marine environments, and we need to make sure it stays that way. This is why we are creating a network of marine protected areas.

“We have to get this right. Designating the right sites in the right places, so that our seas are sustainable, productive and healthy, and to ensure that the right balance is struck between conservation and industry.

“We have carefully considered the evidence, and these 31 sites are the ones that are suitable to be designated next year.”

The proposed sites will to contribute to a network of marine protected areas and will complement the 8.4% of UK waters and 24% of English inshore waters already within protected areas.

The consultation will seek views on proposals for the designation of MCZs in English inshore and English and Welsh offshore waters.

It presents an opportunity for those with an interest to make their views known, and to submit any new evidence that should be considered and includes proposals on how the proposed sites will be treated.

The consultation also provides clarification on:

• reference areas. These will not be included in the first phase but will be subject to further review; and
• the treatment of MCZs at different stages in the designation process in licensing decisions. To assist developers in the marine area we have clarified how we consider that developments should be treated in or near MCZs so that economic growth is not inhibited unnecessarily.

Designating MCZs to contribute to a network of Marine Protected Areas is a Government commitment under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to ensure that our marine environment is protected for years to come.

Notes

The consultation will run until 31 March 2013 and can be found here: www.defra.gov.uk/consult/2012/12/13/marine-conservation-zones-1212/.

Four stakeholder-led Regional MCZ Projects were established to recommend the possible sites: Irish Seas Conservation Zones (Irish Seas), Finding Sanctuary (South West waters), Balanced Seas (South East waters) and Net Gain (North Sea) managed by the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (the SNCBs: Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee). These brought together stakeholders with interests in marine industries, marine ecology and conservation, and the regulators.

The final reports from the Regional MCZ Projects can be viewed here: http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/2080291.

The SNCB advice can be viewed here: www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/marine/mpa/mcz/advice.aspx.