Support tomorrow’s seafood industry, today

Fisheries Innovation Scotland (FIS) invites expressions of interest (EoI) from organisations across the world to take part in two new projects designed to help the Scottish seafood industry plan for a prosperous future.

FIS is the partnership between seafood experts, scientists and Scottish Government to champion practical innovation projects that add value to businesses and communities. Today, FIS announced it will commission two exciting new investigations into greenhouse gas emissions from Scottish fishing vessels, and the digitalisation of the Scottish fishing fleet. These studies will help FIS develop

innovations that have tangible benefits for the seafood sector. This request for EoIs begins a two- stage process whereby applicants will be shortlisted for the opportunity to submit a full proposal.

Executive Director Kara Brydson said “FIS projects have industry expertise built in from the very beginning, so we asked for views on the most pressing innovation needs for Scottish seafood. Our members, which include catchers, processors, and retailers, shortlisted these ‘critical questions’ and invited experts from outside of the seafood world to help us identify what projects could start supporting tomorrow’s industry today. Bringing these heads together led to us think about using digital tools to provide business and research intelligence, and increasing fishing efficiency while reducing emissions.

“FIS’ take on innovation is about shared opportunities and genuine collaboration to try new things. Who knows our industry better than the people driving it, but we also welcome specialists from beyond seafood to help us learn from other sectors and nations. FIS began speaking to stakeholders about their innovation priorities before the global pandemic and we will keep listening as our industry recovers and adapts.”

FIS will commission an inventory of the Scottish fleet to understand greenhouse gas (GHG) emission issues for each sector – for example, the elements in each fleet segment that are the greatest contributors, as well as the greatest contributors by fleet segment. The inventory will inform the development of a practical tool to measure and validate changes in carbon use at an individual vessel level. This knowledge will help promote industry action to reduce GHG emissions, safeguard sector and business reputation, and allow businesses to maintain and access new markets.

FIS will also commission a digitalisation roadmap for Scottish fisheries, including an audit of the fleet’s current and future digital capabilities to provide business and research intelligence to fishers, scientists and managers. The roadmap must reflect stakeholder priorities and consider all parts of the Scottish fishing fleet, from the in-shore sector through to the largest vessels.

FIS invites Expressions of Interest from all types of organisation capable of generating new knowledge relevant to Scottish fisheries, and ensuring this knowledge can be used to generate change ‘on the water’. The EoI period closes on Monday 14th December 2020.

A request for a full proposal will be sent to shortlisted partners by the end of December 2020. For more details on the new FIS projects, and to submit an Expression of Interest to lead this work, please go to our website.

Seafarers UK Supports Safety Folder for Fishers

 

Seafarers UK is supporting the Safety Folder, a unique safety aid for professional fishers, as it embarks on a campaign to increase its use by fishing boat owners, skippers and crew across the UK.

Created by Seafarers UK trustee Robert Greenwood, the Safety Folder is a free online resource that aims to support behavioural change to improve safety culture on board fishing vessels of all sizes.

It achieves this in part by making it easier to maintain records and provide evidence to Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) inspectors that risk assessments have been routinely carried out.

The MCA recommends the use of the Safety Folder on the grounds that its use can ‘assist you with preparing for your survey and inspection and may save you time and money by shortening the time MCA spends on your vessel and avoid return visits.’

Since its launch in 2012, the Safety Folder has been adopted by owners of 1,687 vessels with 4,239 crew. 50% of active fishing vessels in the UK are registered users, including 23% of the UK’s under-10m fleet.

The Safety Folder:

• supports conducting and recording risk assessments 
• supports compliance with ILO C188 regulations 
• keeps track of crew training and certification 
• provides automated reminders of expiry dates for equipment certification, servicing and vessel maintenance.

The Safety Folder’s use as a safety management system is endorsed by the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, Northern Ireland Fish Producers’ Organisation, Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and Welsh Fishermen’s Association - Cymdeithas Pysgotwyr Cymru.

Robert Greenwood explained: ‘The grant awarded by Seafarers UK, together with match funding from Trinity House, will support the incorporation, marketing and core costs for the Safety Folder, enabling a shift from a part-time volunteer endeavour to a more formal structuring of the governance and its operations, including the creation of a Community Interest Company.’

‘It will also enable a programmer's time to be given to website development in order to improve navigation and retrieval of information for users, as well as add a calendar of key dates and automated reminders about equipment safety checks.’

Seafarers UK CEO Catherine Spencer commented: ‘This grant award is the latest example of how our solution focused work in the fishing sector will help raise safety standards and practice for UK fishers. Seafarers UK is getting to the root of problems and working with a range of delivery organisations to improve life for fishers.’

Fishing vessel owners can register to use the Safety Folder at https://www.safetyfolder.co.uk

DEAL OR NO DEAL?

 

Are the scales now tipping back in favour of the status quo for UK fishing? 

As anyone who has been reading the NEF blog over the past few years will recognise, fisheries – while only making up a tiny part of the UK economy – has developed totemic status in the UK’s Brexit narrative and remains one of the major obstacles to a UK-EU deal. 

In the run-up to the Brexit referendum, it was impossible to avoid hearing about fisheries and Brexit and the oft-repeated soundbite of ​“taking back control” of our waters. This fits a portrayal of the UK as an island nation with a proud maritime heritage, so fishing has become the posterchild for a new chapter outside the EU. Brexit was sold to the public and fishing industry as a ​“sea of opportunity” by politicians and industry bodies alike. It wasn’t convenient for Brexit advocates to focus on the downsides of leaving the single market and customs union in any cost-benefit analysis.

Since the dim and distant days of the referendum, our research has shown a sea of risks for the majority of fishing fleet in the UK, with Brexit likely to create more losers than winners when it comes to fishing. The House of Lords European Union Committee was extremely clear in December 2016, that if the UK fishing industry as a whole is to thrive post-Brexit, it will need to continue to have access to EU markets. The majority of UK-caught fish and shellfish ends up in the EU. The total volume of the UK’s fish exports to the EU, including fish and shellfish, amounted to 342,000 metric tons in 2018 – so the impacts of tariffs and non-tariff barriers are extremely significant.

But due to the influence of money in politics and the media, the media coverage was skewed by powerful fishing lobbyists (as our analysis showed), who were quoted time and again, without any attention being paid to those who stood to lose out.

For this reason, we went to fishing ports around the UK to try to provide a voice for those who were most at risk, marginalised in the discussion, the politics and the media. We made a video in 2018 and took their voices straight to Westminster for a cross-party event.

Up until September of this year, lobbyists for the large-scale fishing fleet (representing mainly quota owners and those fishing for quota species, who are more likely to benefit from Brexit) were pushing the government to stand firm for fishermen, by refusing to compromise on EU fleets’ access to UK waters or status quo when it comes to quotas. Although by this point, international fishing industry commentators were already very clear about the risks of not having a fisheries agreement in place, both for the sustainable management of fisheries and for a sustainable industry.

Now, in November 2020, the tune is starting to change. The penny is clearly starting to drop.

The government guidance on exporting seafood to the EU is unworkable, and fishing industry leaders shared their concerns in a letter to the government, stating that the guidance places an unrealistic administrative burden on fishers who used to be able to sell their fish to the EU easily. The Financial Times has reported that there would need to be four times as many people involved in filling out the paperwork as there were working as fishermen. French fishing interests aren’t going to retreat without a fight and the narrative around who is to blame for the apparent plight of the UK fishing industry is also shifting away from ​‘them catching our fish’ to ​‘we sold them the rights to catch it’.

But with time running out and ​“project fear becoming project fact” we don’t have the luxury of time. If the government fails to get a deal with the EU, a no-deal Brexit will be the final nail in the coffin for the struggling fishing industry. It would cause immense problems for fishers who export to the EU, and those who fish for shellfish outside of the EU quota system. Suddenly, the bullish narrative of the Brexit referendum has shifted. The costs to fishers are finally being recognised and concerns all over the UK are coming to the fore.

A deal now looks more likely, as the consequences of not having access to the main market for seafood would be cataclysmic for an industry already heavily impacted by Covid-19 and its impacts on seafood markets, restaurants and pubs.

The most extreme Brexiteers are now clutching at straws as the reality of no deal can no longer be ignored, with suggestions that our coastal communities will be rebuilt on the strength of their ability to use ​‘fish guts’ in pharmaceuticals (despite the fact that the EU has already been working on this, and that the UK could do it far more effectively with international support).

So, many years down the line and approaching the final days of negotiation the only viable political option appears to be an agreement that sounds like ​‘taking back control’ but really doesn’t change the status quo all too much. This would mean the UK civil servants and large-scale fisheries lobby can both be happy and a tale can be spun to say that the deal was reached to protect the small-scale fleet from a disastrous no deal.

Taking back control, to change nothing, isn’t really that catchy – but looks like the least worse option.

Full story courtesy of the New Economics Foundation.

Deal or No Deal?

Are the scales now tipping back in favour of the status quo for UK fishing?

As anyone who has been reading the NEF blog over the past few years will recognise, fisheries — while only making up a tiny part of the UK economy — has developed totemic status in the UK’s Brexit narrative and remains one of the major obstacles to a UK-EU deal.

In the run-up to the Brexit referendum, it was impossible to avoid hearing about fisheries and Brexit and the oft-repeated soundbite of ​“taking back control” of our waters. This fits a portrayal of the UK as an island nation with a proud maritime heritage, so fishing has become the posterchild for a new chapter outside the EU. Brexit was sold to the public and fishing industry as a ​“sea of opportunity” by politicians and industry bodies alike. It wasn’t convenient for Brexit advocates to focus on the downsides of leaving the single market and customs union in any cost-benefit analysis.

Since the dim and distant days of the referendum, our research has shown a sea of risks for the majority of fishing fleet in the UK, with Brexit likely to create more losers than winners when it comes to fishing. The House of Lords European Union Committee was extremely clear in December 2016, that if the UK fishing industry as a whole is to thrive post-Brexit, it will need to continue to have access to EU markets. The majority of UK-caught fish and shellfish ends up in the EU. The total volume of the UK’s fish exports to the EU, including fish and shellfish, amounted to 342,000 metric tons in 2018 – so the impacts of tariffs and non-tariff barriers are extremely significant.

But due to the influence of money in politics and the media, the media coverage was skewed by powerful fishing lobbyists (as our analysis showed), who were quoted time and again, without any attention being paid to those who stood to lose out.

For this reason, we went to fishing ports around the UK to try to provide a voice for those who were most at risk, marginalised in the discussion, the politics and the media. We made a video in 2018 and took their voices straight to Westminster for a cross-party event.

Up until September of this year, lobbyists for the large-scale fishing fleet (representing mainly quota owners and those fishing for quota species, who are more likely to benefit from Brexit) were pushing the government to stand firm for fishermen, by refusing to compromise on EU fleets’ access to UK waters or status quo when it comes to quotas. Although by this point, international fishing industry commentators were already very clear about the risks of not having a fisheries agreement in place, both for the sustainable management of fisheries and for a sustainable industry.

Now, in November 2020, the tune is starting to change. The penny is clearly starting to drop.

The government guidance on exporting seafood to the EU is unworkable, and fishing industry leaders shared their concerns in a letter to the government, stating that the guidance places an unrealistic administrative burden on fishers who used to be able to sell their fish to the EU easily. The Financial Times has reported that there would need to be four times as many people involved in filling out the paperwork as there were working as fishermen. French fishing interests aren’t going to retreat without a fight and the narrative around who is to blame for the apparent plight of the UK fishing industry is also shifting away from ​‘them catching our fish’ to ​‘we sold them the rights to catch it’.

But with time running out and ​“project fear becoming project fact” we don’t have the luxury of time. If the government fails to get a deal with the EU, a no-deal Brexit will be the final nail in the coffin for the struggling fishing industry. It would cause immense problems for fishers who export to the EU, and those who fish for shellfish outside of the EU quota system. Suddenly, the bullish narrative of the Brexit referendum has shifted. The costs to fishers are finally being recognised and concerns all over the UK are coming to the fore.

A deal now looks more likely, as the consequences of not having access to the main market for seafood would be cataclysmic for an industry already heavily impacted by Covid-19 and its impacts on seafood markets, restaurants and pubs.

The most extreme Brexiteers are now clutching at straws as the reality of no deal can no longer be ignored, with suggestions that our coastal communities will be rebuilt on the strength of their ability to use ​‘fish guts’ in pharmaceuticals (despite the fact that the EU has already been working on this, and that the UK could do it far more effectively with international support).

So, many years down the line and approaching the final days of negotiation the only viable political option appears to be an agreement that sounds like ​‘taking back control’ but really doesn’t change the status quo all too much. This would mean the UK civil servants and large-scale fisheries lobby can both be happy and a tale can be spun to say that the deal was reached to protect the small-scale fleet from a disastrous no deal.

Taking back control, to change nothing, isn’t really that catchy – but looks like the least worse option.

Full story from the New Economics Foundation BY Chris Williams 

19 NOVEMBER 2020 

Best Practices to Prevent and Reduce abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear

 

 

It has been estimated that 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear is lost or abandoned in the oceans every year, which traps fish or other marine life and negatively impact marine ecosystems. FAO in collaboration with GGGI is running workshops on abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear around the world. Through these workshops, co-funded by the European Union and the Government of the Netherlands, they provide with instruments, such the Voluntary Guidelines for the Marking of Fishing Gear (VGMFG), to address ghost fishing and marine litter from fisheries activities. 

This video shows the workshop held in Panama and also the experience of the country to tackle this issue.

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...

meanwhile, there's much discussion over the apparent lack of availability of frozen water in the port this morning...

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

 

NUTFA are currently urgently seeking information from Fishermen on a wide variety of issues faced by fishermen, including but not limited to, the following: 

• 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 

NUTFA have a dialogue with Regulators on a variety of current issues, together with those that are likely to affect the fishing industry in the short and long term as we navigate Brexit. To have some hope of policies being drafted effectively, and to have a way of communicating concerns during this transitional process, all fishermen are asked to make contact with NUTFA to put together an informed, detailed, and thorough analysis of the current situation, not only in respect of Covid19 impact, but with regard to fishing concerns generally. 

Championing best practice and forcing change where necessary, through challenging current and future policy, is the only way forward to ensure a sustainable inshore fishing fleet. We therefore very much welcome contact from all members of the inshore fleet to enable us to collate information, advice fishermen, and bring about change where necessary for the survival of the smaller scale fishermen in coastal communities currently struggling to keep afloat. 

We very much welcome contact either via email on jerry@nutfa.co.uk or sarah@nutfa.co.uk or via telephone on the details given on the Contact area.