Information Day - Blue Growth calls under the EMFF - 5 April 2016

Delivering Innovation in the Blue Economy - 7,5M€ to boost projects !

This year, three calls for proposals will be launched under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund to foster blue growth across Europe. The European Commission is organising a Launch Event to present those calls.

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The event will be opened by Karmenu Vella (tbc), Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, followed by keynote speakers from the European Parliament, DG MARE and DG Research and Innovation as co-authors of the Communication on Innovation in the Blue economy.

When?

5 April 2016, from 09:30-13:00

Where?

CHARLEMAGNE BUILDING

Rue de la Loi 170
B-1000 BRUSSELS
Meeting room JENKINS

What?

Final Agenda

Webstreaming (the link will only be activated on the day of the event).

How to participate?

Registration is now closed. For questions, please contact the functional mailbox: EMFF-EVENTS@ec.europa.eu

Please note that, due to the size of the meeting room, registrations will be accepted on a «first come-first served» basis.

Follow and interact with us on Twitter: #bluegrowth

Background information

Blue Growth calls infographics.

With a budget of over 7,5M€, the calls 'Blue careers', 'Blue labs' and 'Blue technology' will respectively help enhancing career opportunities in the maritime economy, stimulating the creativity of young researchers and set-up cooperations that will help bring research results to the market in promising blue growth technology areas.

The calls will be open to all sea basins surrounding the EU coasts and will target a wide range of stakeholders of the blue economy

The launch of these three calls represents a concrete step to implement the "Communication from the Commission: Innovation in the Blue Economy: realising the potential of our seas and oceans for jobs and growth ".

Fish quota allocation a fair share for the UK?

In the interests of open discussion the following article from Bryce Stewart has been re-published in full.  In this, Stewart argues that the figures often quoted (not only by UKIP but the likes of Greenpeace et al) are actually wrong and misleading in the portrayal of fishstock allocation for the in comparison to other EU states:

As a result of membership of the Common Fisheries Policy, we are now allowed to catch less than 20% of the fish that swim in British waters. The other 80% we have given away to the rest of Europe.

Nigel Farage, UKIP leader, on the campaign trail

When fact checking this statement, it is first of all worth pointing out that if the UK was allowed to catch 20% of the fish that swim in British waters and the EU took the rest, then there would be no fish left in the sea.

In attempting to check the facts behind this assertion, one must assume, therefore, that Nigel Farage is referring to the allocations of fishing quotas which are determined by the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

In 2015, the CFP allocated the United Kingdom a total of 612,612 tonnes of quota from more than 100 different fish and shellfish stocks. The total EU quota for these stocks was 2,069,202 tonnes, so the UK was allocated 30% of these fish (and shellfish) quotas.

These figures include various fish which live beyond the boundaries of UK waters, such as Arctic cod and west of Ireland sole. If one considers the 73 different fish stocks which live in UK waters, the total EU quota was 1,920,915 tonnes, of which 585,211 tonnes was allocated to the UK (which also happens to be 30%). Individual quota allocations differ according to stock, as figure one below shows. For example, the UK gets 84% of the North Sea haddock quota, 81% of North Sea monkfish quota and 98% of west of Scotland prawn quota; but only 4% of North Sea sprat quota, 18% of northern hake and 28% of North Sea plaice.

Figure 1. 2015 quota allocations for 73 stocks which live in UK waters, grouped by region (% in brackets refers to the proportion of total quota the UK received in each region). The numbers on each bar refer to the percentage of EU quota allocated to the UK (note West of Scotland Mackerel is off the scale, as EU quota was over 420,000 tonnes).

Although UK waters are extensive, as the map below shows, the fish stocks which live in our waters are by no means confined to them. Some, like mackerel, make extensive migrations and only pass through our waters for a short period. Others are more sedentary, like prawns which stay close to their burrows in muddy habitats.

Figure 2. Map of the British Isles showing UK waters. The UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is in red, EU member states' EEZ in blue and other EEZs in green. The five main regions referred to in Figure 1 are labelled in white.

Many species live in different places either at different times of the year or in different phases of their life cycle. In the case of North Sea herring for example, most of the juveniles live in the south east corner around the German bight, whereas the adults tend to congregate around the Shetland Isles prior to spawning at various sites along the British coast. North Sea cod are found throughout the North Sea but prefer spawning along the border between UK and Norwegian waters.

So despite the UK having quite extensive waters, fish stocks do not respect political boundaries, and many are mobile at some stage in their life: these fish are exclusive to neither the UK, the EU, nor the bordering Scandinavian states, but are a shared resource. It would be a major undertaking to establish exactly which proportions of each fish stock would occupy any national waters. These are also likely to change throughout the year, and from year to year. The CFP was designed to manage the mobile fishing fleets that pursue these common, mobile resources.

Although the majority of fish stocks around the UK are managed under the CFP, some important stocks, mainly local shellfish species such as crabs, lobsters and scallops, are also managed under national jurisdictions and bilateral agreements, for example between the EU and states such as Norway and Iceland.

The status of all stocks is determined by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the recognised authority that provides scientific advice to managers. This advice is updated annually and, where possible, includes measures of stock status such as the total biomass of adults and the rate of exploitation the stock has been subjected to by the fishery.

Although the CFP is much derided, various reforms have actually resulted in improvements in the status of many fish stocks in the last decade or so: exploitation rates are down, and in most cases, to levels which are sustainable. The ICES advice also includes recommendations for total allowable catches (TACs) for each stock. Each TAC is then considered by the EU and divided into the quotas which are allocated among the member states according to fixed percentages, under allocation keys known as “relative stability”, which are based on historic fishing patterns.

Verdict

In 2015, the UK was allocated 30% of the EU quota for fishing ground stocks which occur in UK waters. The area of UK waters relative to other member states is certainly high, but the exact proportions depend on the region and which components of member state waters should be considered.

If Farage’s point is that most of the quota for fish stocks that live in UK waters are fished by other member states, then he is correct; but the figure is not 80%, more like 70%. However, these are not “our” fish, the fish that live in UK waters are no more British than they are German, Dutch, Belgian, Irish or Norwegian: they are in fact European.

Review

This is a thorough and well-illustrated response which uses the most reliable and up-to-date information available. By demonstrating that the majority of fish in our waters are in fact European rather than British it highlights a key point – even if Britain left the EU we would still need to negotiate quotas which took this into account. There is no guarantee this would ensure any more of the catch.

It’s also interesting to look at these figures in terms of value rather than just landings. Three of the top five most valuable UK fisheries are for shellfish: prawns, scallops and crabs. For these more sedentary species we already have almost complete control. Although some fish, such as haddock are mainly eaten in the UK, a lot of shellfish from British waters is exported to EU countries. The vast majority of our scallop catch – the UK’s third most valuable fishery – goes to France and Belgium. Likewise Spain and Portugal take a lot of our crabs and prawns. Let’s concentrate on looking after what we are responsible for, more wisely.

Hazards of fishing - Big Don suffered from the bends.

More evidence the Mission building will be up and running in its new guise as essential services get plumbed in...

three huge monk tails kick off this morning's market watch...

along with a dollop of Dovers...

and haddock for the inshore trawler Elisabeth Veronique...

name the three kinds of ray...

and a box of beauties...

rare large mackerel...

more signs of Spring as a few spiders put in an appearance...

at the sign of the cross...

quality MSC Certified Cornish hake on the market this morning...

from the good ship Britannia V...

and a handful of bass from the AA...

 and a selection of tails...

about to put out more post, the Sovereign about to take on bait...

busy this morning as the  Shiralee has to queue for ice...

not so smooth on the way out this morning for the punt, Evening Star...

followed by the Elisabeth Veronique...

 bound away again...

always happy to be at sea, septuagenarian Dennis Pascoe geads out through the gaps...

followed by young Mr Morley...

looking back at an almost empty harbour...

across the bow of the sailing ship Bessie Ellen...

no doubt the forensic squad will be called in to take away paint samples from whomever gave the end of the quay a ding over the weekend...

the Scillies marine medical link for the Doctor and midwife of the Islands...

looking glum and describing the water as 'soup' - meaning the fish cannot see the lures the handliners work with - not a good start to the week for the punt men!...

after taking ice the Shiralee is bound away for the day...

now we know why the Filadelifa was forced to return after just one haul!, bad luck Don.

Berth wanted!

Inspiring stuff! - Skipper Phil "all hail the hake' Mitchell and the boys on the Govenek of Ladram

At the end of last year we all enjoyed watching the Channel 4 TV series, The Catch - especially the episodes that featured young, and not so young and willing (and not so willing) 'decky learners' - new entrants to the industry.  As a result of the TV series there has been an upsurge in keen would-be-fishermen signing up for the mandatory safety and Introduction to fishing courses throughout the UK.

"On the crest of a wave"

One of these keen gentlemen has contacted Through the Gaps and asked if he can be put in touch with a boat willing to give him a chance?

Hi, my name is Steven and would just like to enquire about any commercial fishing from Newlyn. I am waiting to start a 3 week introduction to fishing course in May and have been advised to contact any ports or fishermen. I cannot seem to find any contactable skippers and I need someone to take me out when I have gained my certificates.  If you know of anyone looking for a new deckhand and willing to give someone a chance could you please contact me. 

Thank-you for your time. Steven Coundley - 07460077966

If you are in a position to do so, give the guy a call! 

If you need crew or a berth use @FindaFishingJob - it's free!:

 https://twitter.com/FindaFishingJob

There's a party going on south west of Lundy!

You can tell it is April month by the number of UK, Breton, French and Belgian fishing boats 'up channel' - in the Bristol Channel.  At this time of year fish like cod, whiting, plaice, lemons and Dover soles are more abundant off the north Cornish coast.  All the Belgian and UK boats are beam trawlers - all the French and Breton boats are stern trawlers.  The guys on the ISS might even be able to see them all at night when they have their deck lights switched on!

That's fishing sometimes.

The Filadelfia heads in through the gaps some 18 hours after heading out of them...

yesterday, steaming north 'up Channel' and then deciding to head back south - and then having to head for home again - feeling the frustration Don.

The building of Newlyn Harbour.

Inspiration to develop Newlyn Harbour came from a number of people whose interests ranged between concern for the well-being of fishermen to commercial interest concerned with the landing and sale of fish. The vicars at St Peter's Church, best represented by the Rev Wladislaw Lach-Szyrma motivated by humanitarian concerns played a key role in the initial fight for the harbour while commercial interests perhaps represented best by the entrepreneur and land owner Thomas Bedford Bolitho continued the impetus. The photograph above shows a proud Thomas Bedford Bolitho in top hat surrounded by other dignitaries at the opening of the North pier on July 3rd 1894. 1894.

This Open Day covers the full development of Newlyn Harbour from the election of its first harbour commissioners in 1884 to the present time. It spans the building of the South and North Piers, the erection of two fish markets in 1908 and 1988 and the building of the Mary Williams Pier. It highlights the Newlyn Riots and their aftermath when for nine years from 1897-1906, the management of the harbour was taken over by the Public Works Loan Board. 

From 1906, when the harbour was returned to its elected commissioners and was becoming more prosperous, there were considerable developments in its infrastructure with a new trawl fish quay, a coastguard boathouse, new harbour offices, new market facilities and RR Bath's new ice house where Newlyn made its own ice for the first time. Alongside this, the fishing fleet was becoming larger with foreign boats using harbour facilities alongside the growing fleet of Newlyn boats, the most prominent of which, was the post WW2  c Stevenson fleet.

Hopefully, the exhibition pinpoints some of the key figures along the way, including the harbour masters, William Oats Strick in 1886, to our present Rob Parsons. But we rely on our visitors to add to the growing dossier of information we have amassed about Newlyn Harbour.

All over Newlyn, hanging on walls, stashed away in cupboards or loft spaces there must be all kinds of documents and relics form Newlyn's past - like this mooring plan of the harbour...

drawn up in 1912 ...

by local surveyor B**** Maddern (maybe someone can idenify the man?)...

- not sure what or why the hulks are there - maybe used as gear stores or places to work from.
The Open Day 'The Building of Newlyn Harbour' is at Trinity Centre, Chywoone Hill, Newlyn on April 2016, from 10am until 3pm - come alomg and ask more questions, bring your own photos, documents or relics to be identifed or even provide some answers!