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 

Register for your IMO number - contact the MMO with your phone number and email address if you haven’t already done so Attend the MMO’s workshops, where you can ask real-time questions, happening between 21 - 26 Nov Get in touch with the MMO 

These dark winter months are the perfect time to ready yourself for the incoming changes - as usual, Fathom is here to help you, with an easily-digestible, conversational breakdown from the experts.

Fathom guests

Tom McCormack, MMO Phil Haslam, MMO Michelle Willis, MMO

Useful links

• Prepare your fisheries business for changes from January 1st 2021

• Exporting fish to the EU from January 1st 2021

• One stop shop

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.

 

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is holding a number of webinars with Operations Director, Phil Haslam about the latest marine and fishing guidance for what you’ll need to do from 01 January 2021.

The MMO said, “We have been listening to our marine and fishing industries and adapting accordingly. While negotiations on any trade agreements continue, there is still much we can all do to prepare for the changes and opportunities ahead as an independent coastal state. 

 “We would like to offer you an opportunity to join Phil Haslam, Operations Director, at the Marine Management Organisation on a video call where we will update you on the latest guidance and information. “The call will be useful for active fishing businesses fishing in both UK or EU waters, fishers who direct land catch into the EU, and merchants and companies that export fish and seafood to the EU. 

You will also have an opportunity to ask questions or you can send your questions to us in advance to communications@marinemanagement.org.uk.” 

The time, dates and regions are listed below: 

•  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 

If you would like to attend, simply join one of the video calls by using the details above. 

Additional information and support:

The MMO have extended their helpline hours and the team in fisheries management to assist businesses preparing for the end of the transition period. This will be further extended from 16 November. 

 

The MMO are also assisting fishers and merchants to meet the required deadlines for data submission and this has had a positive response with improvements so far in many areas and have developed a ‘one-stop-shop’ signposting commercial fishers, merchants and exporters to the help and support available as they get ready for the end of the transition period. 

You can also sign up for email updates on the government’s website.

January 1st 2021 catch certificate chaos - Fishing leaders demand clarity from Defra.

 

Lorries loaded with fish for export

Leaders in the UK fishing industry have written to the Secretary of State, George Eustice warning that that the government’s bureaucratic requirements needed to export fish to the EU from 01 January will have a “seriously detrimental effect” on the industry. 

The joint letter sent on 30 October, asks the Secretary for Defra and the MMO (Marine Management Organisation) to urgently reconsider the arrangements being put in place for validation catch certificates for fish that are exported abroad. The letter says that the MMO ‘s proposals would have a serious detrimental effect on fish exports from the UK and on the future viability of large segments of the catching sector, auction houses, merchants and processors. 

The group writes 

“It would be the final straw for many businesses which are still facing extremely tough times because of the pandemic. This affects all sectors and just about all sizes of vessels.” Follow The Fishing Daily In the letter they warn that any delay in getting fish on to foreign markets could be detrimental for the fishing and seafood industry. Seafood handlers are afraid that delays could mean losses of fish, which is highly perishable, and in return, this would mean massive damage to reputations and huge financial losses. 

At fault, they say, is the new regulatory system for monitoring fish and shellfish. From 01 January 2021, all fish exports will need to be accompanied by a catch certificate. 

“The MMO now seems to be insisting that before a catch certificate can be issued in the new regime for 2021, logbook landing declarations, catch app returns and sales notes must be with the MMO before a catch certificate can be checked and validated.” 

This means that all this information must be gathered and submitted by the deadline set in the EU Regulations, and the data on landing declarations and sales notes must match. The group believes that theoretically, “this might not seem unreasonable, but it fails to take into account regulatory, logistical and commercial realities.” 

The group claims that if the MMO insists on having all documents submitted to them before a catch certificate is issued, it will in effect “exclude any export within 48 hours of that fish/shellfish being landed, with all the loss of value and quality that this brings.” 

Another area of concern for the group is weighing. The MMO has been unable to explain how they will reconcile two or three different weights for the same fish (including estimates and where only a portion of the catch is exported) and be able to validate the catch certificate. “Local MMO staff seem to be as perplexed about this as we are,” says the group. 

The letter says that the issue has been raised with Defra officials on a number of occasions, but so far without resolution. The letter concludes by saying “Ironically, the Government has identified and acknowledged that perishable seafood products should be given systems priority for exports over other goods, whilst at the same time we are presented with MMO demands that do the very opposite, by effectively delaying exports.” 

The letter was signed by: Newlyn Fish Auction, Ocean Fish, Falfish Ltd, Trelawney Fish, Ocean Harvest, Bluesail Fish, Ltd, Interfish Ltd, Coombe Fisheries Ltd, Plymouth Trawler Agents, Brixham Trawler Agents, Ian Perkes Fish Merchants, Dartmouth Crab Company Ltd, South West Fish Producers Organisation, Trident Fish, Samways Fish Merchants, Brighton and Newhaven Fish Sales Ltd, South East Fishermen’s Protection Association, Felixstowe Ferry Fishermen’s Association, Harwich Harbour Fishermen’s Association, Chapman’s Fish Group, DFDS Transport Ltd etc.

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? 

Brexit talks enter difficult phase as Coveney says ‘we’re running out of time’ With Britain now playing hard ball on fisheries, EU negotiators led by Michel Barnier must spell out clearly that the starting point in any fisheries negotiations has to exclude these additional catches obtained by Britain when part of the EU.

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.

Full story courtesy Sean O'Donoghue writing in the Irish Times.

One for the diary: How to bring the EU Fisheries Control Regulation into to digital age and deliver on the European Green Deal.

MEP Clara Aguilera, rapporteur of the Fisheries Control Regulation, and MEP Pierre Karleskind, chair of the Fisheries Committee, together with the EU Fisheries Control Coalition are pleased to announce a virtual event to discuss how the Fisheries Control Regulation can help deliver the European Green Deal and make fisheries fit for the digital age.

The ambition of the Common Fisheries Policy can only be fulfilled if efficient and coherent rules are in place both to ensure the appropriate level of oversight, and also guarantee the reliability of catch data. The EU’s fisheries Control Regulation is – together with the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing Regulation – the cornerstone of its fisheries control system. It sets the rules applicable to the monitoring and control of EU fishing vessels and its implementation has wide-ranging implications for EU fishers, consumers and the marine environment.

The European Commission’s proposal for the revision of the fisheries control system puts forward measures to make the system more effective and efficient, in a way that begins to address both identified loopholes that undermine harmonised fisheries controls across EU Member States, and also the unreliable and incomplete nature of existing catch data. It is now in the hands of the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers to increase the ambition of the control system to ensure a proper level playing field across the EU for fishers and everyone who depends on our marine environment.

Join our panel of international experts for an exciting discussion on how a new EU Fisheries Control Regulation can help to make EU fisheries future proof; exploring the links between controlling fisheries and the EU’s green and digital ambitions. 

Register here if you would like to attend.

Stark figures over fish caught by EU vessels revealed in new report.

More than half of the fish and shellfish caught in Shetland waters is landed by EU fishing boats, while the local fleet gets less than one sixth. 

That is according to figures in a new report by Dr Ian Napier of the NAFC Marine Centre UHI. The report says a third of all fish and shellfish landed from UK waters come from Shetland’s so-called “Exclusive Economic Zone” (EEZ).

Drawing on official figures for an area of 127,000 km2 around Shetland, bounded by Faroese, Norwegian and the remainder of UK waters, Dr Napier calculated that local vessels landed 14 per cent of the fish and shellfish by weight and 21 per cent by value. But EU boats are said to have landed 56 per cent by weight and 38 per cent by value, with other UK vessels making up the remainder. Executive officer of Shetland Fishermen’s Association Simon Collins said: 

 “We’ve long known that Shetland’s waters are teeming with fish and that under the Common Fisheries Policy EU vessels are permitted to plunder our traditional fishing grounds.

“What this report does is illustrate in detail just how bad the situation has become, and how severe the imbalance is. It serves as a reminder, if one were needed, to the UK’s Brexit negotiators that they must resist all attempts by the EU to maintain the status quo. “The UK must have control of its own waters and have the power to determine who gets access to our stocks.”

In all, 450,000 tonnes of fish and shellfish worth £370m was landed from the “Shetland EEZ” by UK and EU boats annually from 2016 to 2018. On average, Shetland boats landed 120,000 tonnes worth £116m, 63,000 tonnes and £77m of which was caught in the “Shetland EEZ”. Pelagic fish dominated catches – four fifths (79 per cent) by weight and more than half (58 per cent) by value, with demersal fish accounting for 18 per cent by weight and 38 per cent by value. 

The “Shetland EEZ” accounts for 17 per cent of the UK EEZ and just over a quarter (27 per cent) of the Scottish part of the UK EEZ.

Full story courtesy of the S

The ecological disturbance caused by fishing in the North Sea.

Theoretical models linking species diversity to disturbance consider disturbance to be the alteration of population mortality rates caused by the specified perturbation. Current knowledge of the ecological disturbance caused by fishing to marine fish and benthic invertebrate communities is reviewed. This review considers the various components of mortality caused by fishing (eg landings, discards, trawl escapees, etc) and examines the information currently available, or required, to determine the importance of each component in assessing the mortality of fish and benthos caused by fishing.

Landings data provide an estimate of part of the mortality of fish caused by fishing activity in the North Sea. Thus international landings databases were compiled for seven key target species by fishing gear, rectangle and year over the period 1997 to 2004.

Data were provided by theUK (England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland), The Netherlands, Germany and Norway. Data were aggregated to the lowest common gear category.  Annual variation at the North Sea scale in the data supplied by these countries very closely matched similar data supplied to ICES for use in the annual stock assessment process, confirming the veracity of the MAFCONS dataset.

Landings data included in the MAFCONS data base represented a high proportion of totalNorth Sea landings, suggesting that fishing by these nations accounted for most of the fishing disturbance taking place in the North Sea. Of the seven main species, saithe and cod were the two with significant proportions of total North Sea landings taken by countries outside the MAFCONS consortium.

Spatial distributions of landings by all gears are reported by year, and by gear and country for two separate time periods.For components of the marine ecosystem beyond the targeted commercial species, landings data provide little indication of fishing disturbance  For these species, fishing disturbance must be modelled based on data that quantify levels of fishing activity; fishing effort data.

To do this, international fishing effort data bases were compiled for most countries participating in the MAFCONS project. Again these data were compiled by ICES rectangle, gear category, and year over the period 1997 to 2004 in terms of hours spent fishing.

For two countries, Scotland and the Netherlands, data, in terms of hours-effort, were not available and had to be modelled on the basis of days-absent from port.No landings or effort data were available for Belgian, Danish, French, and Swedish fishing vessels, countries that all prosecute significant fisheries in the North Sea. Landings and effort by these countries were therefore modelled.

Annual variation and spatial trends in these modelled data were examined and assessed by comparison with all available information.Generally the modelled output was deemed acceptable.

It was therefore considered advisable to include these data in the MAFCONS data base so as to examine variation in all fishing activity taking place in the North Sea, rather than simply just ignoring the significant components of fishing activity associated with countries that were not part of the MAFCONS consortium. MAFCONS reported and modelled total annual landings data closely matched landings data reported by ICES, suggesting that the MAFCONS database accurately reflected the actual fishing situation in the North Sea.

Total landings in the North Sea fell by 40% over the period1997 to 2004.

When this overall reduction in landings was taken into account, spatial distributions in the total landings of each species, and in the landings of each species by gear, were relatively consistent over time.

Total fishing effort declined by 28% since 1999, with some countries (eg England and Scotland) more affected than others. 

• Beam trawling was primarily asouthern North Sea activity. 

• Otter trawling occurred throughout the North Sea but was more prevalent in the northern North Sea.

• Seine netting occurred mainly in the northern North Sea.

These distributions were consistent over time.Models were developed for both the fish and benthic invertebrate communities to convert the observed patterns of fishing activity to indices of fishing mortality. The benthic invertebrate model utilised recent meta-analysis studies to determine “per fishing event” mortality rates for various benthic invertebrate fauna.

Recent studies of the Dutch beam trawl fleet have suggested that at small spatial scale, the distribution of fishing activity follows a Poisson distribution.

Knowing tow velocity, tow duration, and gear width for each fishing metier, the mean fishing frequency in each rectangle can be determined from the fishing effort statistics. Application of the Poisson distribution then enables the distribution of fishing frequencies in 900small sub-units of each rectangle to be determined, which, given the “per fishing event” mortality rates, allows the total benthic mortality in each ICES rectangle to be estimated.

Rather than being linear, the relationships between fishing effort and mortality were strongly asymptotically curvilinear. The model was applied to the observed fishing effort data assuming a “generic”benthic invertebrate community and using actual observed epibenthic species abundance data.The model indicated that rectangles of moderate fishing effort had mortality rates almost as hig has high fishing effort rectangles.

Consequently the area of high benthic impact from fishing was more widespread that might have been suggested by the fishing effort data alone.The fish mortality model utilised swept area estimates combined with estimates of local abundance (density), and making assumptions about catchability, determined the likely number of fish taken in each fishing event.

The number of fishing events in each rectangle was estimated from the fishing effort statistics, knowing mean tow duration for each type of fishing activity. The model was used to determine annual rates of fishing mortality for each species recorded in the Dutch beam trawl survey. Spatial distributions in mortality were presented.Estimates of fishing disturbance to the fish community were also derived directly from the landings data.

Estimates of discard levels for each commercial species are provided each yearby the stock assessments. These were used to raise landings to total catch, with corrections applied to account for the non-target species. Total catches in each ICES rectangle were converted to “exploitation” rate indices by dividing them by estimates of the abundance of fish present.

To read the full project paper download from here.