Listen to the HoC's committee's oral evidence session: Access to UK fisheries post-Brexit

Somewhere in this discussion, the subject of Christmas Nativity crops up.

The EU Environment Sub-Committee discussed the fishing aspects of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement with fishing Minister Victoria Prentis and other Government officials. 

The first panel involved representatives from the fishing regulators for Scotland and England: Marine Scotland, and the Marine Management Organisation. The second panel involves fishing Minister Victoria Prentis MP and supporting officials. 

Meeting details

At 10.00am: Oral evidence

Inquiry Access to UK fisheries post-Brexit 

Lisa McGuinness - Head at Marine Scotland Compliance

Phil Haslam Director of Operations at Marine Management Organisation 

At 11.00am: Inquiry Access to UK fisheries post-Brexit 

Victoria Prentis MP Conservative 

Neil Hornby Director of Marine and Fisheries at Defra 

Phil Haslam Director of Operations at Marine Management Organisation 

Areas of discussion:

The Committee will ask the first panel about: 

The preparedness of the marine regulators to monitor fishing activity and enforce the new rules in UK waters now that the UK is an independent coastal state The Committee will ask the second panel about: 

The outcome of the recent negotiations with the EU What the outcome means for the fishing industry.

The EU and the UK have distributed several fish species without giving anything to Norway.

 

"There are many challenges to be solved and that it will be necessary to spend time to get to port," says Audun Maråk ahead of the negotiations between Norway, the EU and the UK on Tuesday. Here are the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. Photo: EC Audio Visual Service The EU and the UK have distributed several fish species without giving anything to Norway. Resources are already tough before the fisheries negotiations between the EU, the UK and Norway start digitally on Tuesday afternoon.

The Brexit negotiations between the EU and the UK show that the parties have already distributed one hundred percent of the total quota on anglerfish, hake and Norway pout before they sit down at the negotiating table with Norway.

Norway will have shares of these fish species and it is therefore totally unacceptable and contrary to the law of the sea that we should not be met with quotas as we have had all along, says Audun Maråk, CEO of the association Fiskebåt. He is part of the Norwegian delegation to the negotiations.

First negotiation most important

Audun Maråk, CEO of Fiskebåt Photo: Torhild Måkestad Martinussen Thus, the battle for resources is underway before negotiations between all three parties have begun. Maråk, who has a very long sailing time from such negotiations, says that there are many challenges to be solved and that it will be necessary to spend time to get to port.

"There is no doubt that the first negotiations like this are especially important to show the way forward. What we had to lose now, it is difficult to win back in later negotiations," says Maråk.

Stumbling blocks in the first round

Ann Kristin Westberg from the Ministry of Trade and Industry is the experienced leader of the Norwegian negotiating delegation.

In the first week, all three parties are in place in negotiations on the management of the total quotas for the various fish species. Already here are stumbling blocks such as the distribution the EU and the UK have carried out of all anglerfish, hake and eyeballs. Nevertheless, this is expected to be easier to reach agreement on, as there is usually agreement to adhere to the TAC (total quota) as a basis for total quotas.

Bilateral negotiations

Following the joint negotiations, bilateral negotiations will begin between two of the three parties next week. Here there will be a tug-of-war over zone access and quota exchange in separate negotiations between Norway and the EU and Norway and the United Kingdom

"We are concerned about the results we have from the negotiations with the EU in the agreements that have been used as a basis so far. In these agreements, there is ample room for zone access and agreement on quota exchange. Now it will be a balancing act to get an equally good agreement with both parties separately as we have had with the EU as a whole," says Maråk.

Does not accept poorer access He has a clear message to the UK in particular if they choose to tighten zone access for Norwegian fishermen and change quotas. Among other things, Norway has used the zone access with the EU to fish most of the mackerel in recent years in the current British zone.

"If it turns out that zone access to Norway will be tightened, Norway will clearly require larger mackerel and blue whiting stocks than we have today. We can not accept that we are allocated poorer zone access and that we must at the same time keep the distribution that is the basis now," says Audun Maråk.

The debate

There is a lot at stake in the negotiations. While previously there were only 50 people in the negotiations between the EU and Norway from political parties, administration and industry, there are now 140 people to participate in the negotiations.

Norway retains a delegation of 15–20 people, which will be the smallest delegation in the negotiations, the United Kingdom has a larger troop, while the EU has by far the largest delegation.

"We bet that it is not the size of the delegations that will be decisive, but the argumentation in factual negotiations where the professional justification is used as a basis for the results that come," says Audun Maråk.

Delayed negotiations

Skjalg Bøhmer Violence The Minister of Fisheries is also clear:

"I am glad that the fisheries negotiations can finally start. We look forward to establishing a good relationship between three parties in the North Sea," says Minister of Fisheries and Seafood Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen in a press release from the government about the negotiations on joint stocks.

Due to the Brexit negotiations, fisheries negotiations for 2021 were delayed.

From the Norwegian side, the delegation will consist of representatives at official level from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (NFD), the Directorate of Fisheries and the Institute of Marine Research, as well as the Norwegian delegation to the EU and the Norwegian Embassy in the United Kingdom. Representatives from several business organizations are also participating in the negotiations.

"We hope to reach the end of the negotiations quickly, but given the circumstances, it can not be ruled out that this may take some time. This is the first time we will negotiate in a trilateral setting, which will also take place at a video conference as a result of the corona situation, says the Minister of Fisheries and Seafood."

Translated by Google from January 12, 2021 3:25 PM By Einar Lindbæk in Ålesund

SHORT STRAITS EXPORT BLOCKAGES

Calais and Boulogne: despite the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and the EU reached on Christmas eve, there is mounting concern over the export of fish to Europe, centering on obstacles in Calais and Boulogne. The first consignments of the year from Cornwall hit a brick wall of bureaucracy, and similar problems are being faced in relation to prawns exported from North Shields and with direct landings into Holland. At the time of writing one consignment of fish had been delayed 48 hours with attendant loss of quality. There were fears that the customer would reject the whole consignment on arrival. Buyers are warning vessels that purchases at first sale markets will soon be impacted if clear export routes across the narrow straits, compliant with the new customs regime cannot be quickly established.

Daily updates from the Government’s Border and Protocol Delivery Group indicate that the level of cross-Channel traffic is lower that experience historically at this time of year, suggesting that exporters are reticent to be at the head of the queue to trial the new systems, with all the attendant costs and risks. The update also conceded that a hurried IT update on both sides of the Channel had been necessary.

The Delivery Group has suggested that there could be compound problems involving:

• Weaknesses in the customs clearing systems User unfamiliarity with the procedures A dilatory response to resolving the issues in France This is an emerging crisis with Calais and Boulogne at the focal point of the difficulties being faced.

Trading Outside the Customs Union

The Trade Agreement removed the immediate threat of tariffs on fisheries products, but the decisions made shortly after the referendum to leave the single market and the customs union, meant that the UK would at the end of the transition period, inevitably be trading across its borders on different conditions as a third country to those as an EU member state.

The current difficulties arise as a result of that change rather than anything in the trade agreement.

There is no reason to believe that the current difficulties won’t be resolved. The question is when and at what cost in the meantime. Already first sale fish markets are showing signs of sluggishness as buyers signal to fishing vessels that they have no confidence in smooth export procedures and therefore will not take the risk of buying.

MMO and Defra

The NFFO has raised the problems faced on the border with both the specialist section within Defra dealing with trade in fisheries products and the MMO. The UK authorities are in contact with the European Commission, who has overall responsibility for international trade over EU borders. The Commission will be alert to the irony that during the negotiations the EU’s claims to automatic access to fish in UK waters was justified by reference to unimpeded access to the EU market. Identifying the specific nature of the problems experienced is a key priority and route to solution.

Catch certificates seem to be being issued without hitches in the UK and those problems that have emerged on the UK side have being quickly resolved. The MMO also reported that licensing of both UK and non-UK vessels to fish between the 12-mile limit and median line had gone smoothly but that more time was required to issue licences for non-UK vessels to fish within the 6-12-mile limits to untangle the legalities contained in the TCA.

Full story courtesy of the NFFO news page.

UK signs agreement with ICES demonstrating commitment to international marine science collaboration

The government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Council of the Exploration of the Sea 

The government has set out its commitment to international marine and fisheries science and continued partnership with ICES following signing of agreement.

The government has set out its commitment to international marine and fisheries science by signing an agreement which will ensure continued partnership with the International Council of the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

ICES is a network of nearly 6,000 scientists from over 700 marine institutes in 20 member countries. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) came into effect on 1 January and sets out how the UK will work with ICES as an independent coastal State. It outlines how UK scientists will contribute to ICES and the advice ICES will provide to the UK on conservation, protection, the sustainable use of the marine environment and sustainable fisheries.

The partnership will assist the UK in meeting its international and domestic commitments to achieving a sustainable marine environment, support vital ecosystems and improve fish stocks which will in turn also benefit our aquaculture and fishing industries.

The UK has a long-running history with ICES as a founding member at its inception in 1902, before becoming a formal contracting party during the ICES Convention of 1964. Throughout our historic collaboration with ICES, UK scientists across Cefas, Marine Scotland Science, AFBI and ICES partner nations, have been key contributors to the development of a greater understanding of marine ecosystems and continue to do so to meet our vision of achieving a clean, healthy and sustainable marine environment.

Fisheries Minister Victoria Prentis said: 

"Now that we are an independent coastal State, we are moving forward with a strong vision as world leaders in marine and fisheries science. UK scientists are key contributors to ICES, and we will continue to play a leading role." 

"We are committed to achieving a clean and healthy marine environment as well as promoting global efforts to protect and enhance marine ecosystems internationally. We must all work together to ensure our seas and oceans are sustainably managed for future generations."

Carl O’Brien CBE, Chief Fisheries Science Adviser at Cefas, said: 

"Science is strengthened through collaboration, and the signing of the MoU provides a basis for continued collaboration between UK scientists across our Devolved Administrations and our peers in ICES with its 20 member nations; embracing the rest of Europe and more widely. We will continue to work together to research and understand the challenges our oceans face and how we can meet them.

The working partnerships between Cefas and other organisations have been developed over more than a century and I look forward to the innovative scientific findings they bring in our efforts towards a sustainable marine environment, for human activity and healthy ecosystems; as well as to the continued sharing of marine data. This information and advice will support the UK in meeting its international and domestic obligations in sustainability." 

The MoU outlines the advice and information ICES will provide to the UK on conservation, protection, the sustainable use of the marine environment, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, as well as marine data. This information and advice will assist the UK in meeting its international and domestic commitments to achieve a sustainable marine environment, support vital ecosystems and improve fish stocks which will in turn also benefit our aquaculture and fishing industries.

ICES will also provide annual advice on fishing opportunities as well as analysis of the status of our marine ecosystems so that we can manage our fisheries in a way that balances the needs of both our fishermen and our vibrant marine life.

Published 11 January 2021 From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, and Victoria Prentis MP

Brittany's fishing ports are struggling with the health crisis

Landings in the seven fishing ports of Cornouaille (or Brittany as we know it in the UK), including that of Guilvinec, the third French fishing port, fell by nearly 12% in value in 2020 due to the health crisis, announced Monday the metropolitan CCI Bretagne Ouest (CCIMBO ) who manages it. 

The total landings under auction and non-auction reached 46,313 tonnes in 2020, down 5.07% to a value of 124 million euros, down 11.8%.

"These bad figures are the result of the health crisis linked to Covid-19 but also of the very bad weather conditions of the first three months of the year.`'

Christophe Hamel, auction manager of the CCIMBO Quimper. 

Closure of restaurants and borders: fishing is toast!

"Deep-sea fishing is the big loser this year," said Christophe Hamel during a press conference. Landings from this fishery fell by 19.4% in tonnage and 23.2% in value due in particular to the closure of restaurants and borders.

Le Guilvinec in retreat, Douarnenez at the top!

Landings at Guilvinec fell by 16.23% in tonnage and 17.63% in value due to the difficulties encountered by deep-sea fishing which represents 80% of the port's activity.

On the other hand, Douarnenez achieves “its best year for 20 years” , according to Christophe Hamel. In particular, sardine landings were very important (9,256 tonnes, compared to 5,499 in 2019). Landings there increased by 46.01% in tonnage and 10.47% in value.

The CCIMBO manages the seven fishing ports of Cornouaille which are Audierne, Concarneau, Douarnenez, Le Guilvinec, Loctudy, Penmarc'h and Lesconil.

They represent 21% of French fresh fish and 45% of Breton fresh fish . Le Guilvinec is the third French fishing port for all species and the first in artisanal fishing (coastal and small-scale fishing)

Full story courtesy of France3 - Brittany.

A dark Monday morning in Newlyn. RIP Ian Jebbert.

A dark start to the week...

one made all the darker knowing that fish porter, cyclist and fanatical sea-angler Ian Jebbert, whose long-standing presence on on every early morning fish market never went unnoticed had succumbed to a long-term illness over the weekend - thoughts with family and friends...

with this amount of fish stacked all over the place waiting to be sold on Monday morning's market Ian's presence would have undoubtedly have made itself felt to all and sundry - it's been that much more quiet ever since he was signed off many, many months ago...

not only would Ian have found something to curse  he would have empathised with the netters all of whom are complaining that everywhere they shoot the ground is plastered with dogfish - and only six vessels have a special derogation to land 360 stones (2 tons) of dogs a month in a programme supervised by Cefas...

other netters landed good shots of monk tails...

rays...

and even some spiders...

along with a few boxes of pollack...

and pouting...

the Silver Dawn put ashore a slack shot of hake

and a few ling...

while the bigger inshore trawlers braved the weather and pulled up some decent hauls of ray...

you can see what this one had for breakfast...

haddock are never off the menu at Newlyn...

more ray wings...

and monk tails...

the netterBritannia V picked up plenty of pollack...

while some of the handliners in both St Ives and Mounts Bay had decent shots of mackerel...

and one boat fishing further off struck lucky on the bass...

though the Butts wasn't amongst them this time...

there were even a few scad mixing it up amongst the mackerel...

the two part trips from the beam trawler trips produced plenty of bait for the crabbers...

pristine handlined mackerel...

monk heads for bait anyone?..

most of the netting fleet are now back in port...

while the crabber Emma Louise lands...

on the Mary Williams pier...

into the back of the vivier lorry...

as the sun makes a brave attempt at pushing above the low bank of cloud in the bay...

there's more than a days work on what's left of this trawl...

the hake netter Ajax dwarfs the netter Britannia V

Sapphire III all fiddy after landing her first trip of 2021...

looks like the sun won't be acting as a source of heat for a while this morning...

 so it's two flask's to keep young Edwin going as he has been hard at since 9pm last night and there is still much to do.

Marine Scotland accused of destroying thousands of Scottish fishing jobs.

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Marine Scotland has been accused of allowing 'an environmental disaster' 

MARINE Scotland has been accused of allowing “an environmental disaster” by mismanaging fishing and refusing to exclude trawlers from inshore areas where fishermen catch prawns and langoustines.

A report, due to be released on January 11 by the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF) – and seen by The Ferret – says that Marine Scotland’s oversight of the inshore prawn sector has also destroyed thousands of Scottish jobs.

The SCFF also claims the public body tasked with overseeing Scotland’s fisheries is “partisan in support of Nephrops [prawn and langoustine] trawler interests” and has misled the general public over prawn fishing.

The SCFF report – Marine Scotland’s Mismanagement of Scotland’s Inshore Nephrops Fishery – calls for a ban on trawlers from areas that could be profitably exploited by creelers.

“In other words, the exclusion of all Nephrops trawlers from all creel areas,” the SCFF says. It is calling for a three-mile limit to be reintroduced to prevent trawling in inshore waters off the west coast of Scotland.

The restriction existed for about a century and was only lifted to allow inshore trawling – now, mainly for prawns – in 1984. The SCFF has claimed the reinstatement of the limit would lead to 450 additional creel boats and more than 700 new jobs.

But other fishing organisations dispute these claims. The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation said there is “no evidence” that a three-mile limit banning trawlers would improve sustainability or raise earnings in the creel fleet.

It was backed by the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association (SWFPA) which said a 2017 report into the prawn sector concluded that all sectors of the fishing industry played a part “in sustaining the coastal communities through production of Scottish Nephrops”.

READ MORE: Brexit trade deal will lead to less quota for Scotland's fishing industry

The Scottish Government, on behalf of Marine Scotland, said it was committed to supporting the Scottish sector and had established a new working group in November.

But the SCFF’s report says live prawns and lobsters, known in the industry as Nephrops, are a “high quality Scottish ambassadorial product” which is “by far” the most important for the inshore sector.

Both trawlers and creel boats target prawns. Creel fishing involves laying dozens of pots on the seabed and collecting the catch later. Creel fishermen export virtually all of their catch still alive, mostly to Europe.

Trawlers drag a weighted net to disturb seabed sediment and herd langoustine into the net, as well as other non-target species.

The report says trawlers land whole, dead Nephrops which sell for around £5000 per tonne. The SCFF claims creeling is “artisanal, producing a high-value product” and the quayside liveweight price of around £13,000 per tonne reflects this.

It says trawling is an industrialised activity delivering a “product of much lesser value”. The greater part of the trawl is so damaged only their tails are kept, the report says. The remaining body parts, accounting for two thirds by weight, are dumped at sea.

“Tails sell for around £5250 per tonne, so the price per tonne of tails actually killed – the liveweight price – is £1750,” the report adds.

“Trawlers catch nearly 90% of Scottish Nephrops. Marine Scotland seems surprisingly unconcerned about a substantial proportion of a valuable Scottish natural resource being sold for £1750 per liveweight tonne (as Nephrops tails) or £5000 (as whole Nephrops), instead of £13,000 (as live langoustines).”

The report adds: “With prevailing prices and costs, each tonne caught by trawlers rather than creelers is resulting in fewer Scottish vessels, fewer Scottish crew jobs, less industry profits, less vibrant coastal communities and reduced supply of a Scottish ambassadorial export product.”

The longstanding tensions at sea between trawlers and creelers are also highlighted in the report. Some creel fishermen have claimed equipment has been damaged as a result of gear conflict.

SCFF says that Marine Scotland largely adopts a “hands-off” approach leaving fishermen to compete for seabed access.

SCFF says this means trawlers have a “trump card” in what it describes as a “capricious access system” because they can tow away creels.

Creel vessels have no countervailing threat, the report says, claiming that trawlers can operate a form of “de facto area management serving their best interests”.

Last year the SCFF mounted a legal challenge to Marine Scotland over its rejection of a proposal for a creel only pilot fishery in the Inner Sound off Skye.

Its new report cites the ongoing judicial review and says: “Marine Scotland is not just refusing to consider excluding all trawlers from all creel areas, it is refusing to consider excluding any trawler from any creel area. In fact, Marine Scotland is not even willing to consider a creel only pilot study.”

The SCFF also accuses Marine Scotland of failing to complete promised research and of using “incoherent results to mislead both the public and Scottish Ministers about the merits of the status quo”.

Creels and trawls cannot simultaneously exploit the same seabed area, SCFF argues. It says that “creel only areas are the only sensible option”.

Alistair Sinclair, national co-ordinator for the SCFF, told The Ferret “change must occur” to secure the future of Scotland’s inshore fishery and marine coastal environment.

He said: “Communities have relied on healthy and vibrant seas to provide security of employment and the economic well-being of their populations. Regional inshore fishery groups must be given statutory powers to ensure that overfishing ceases. They must also display more balance in their participants and fishery sectors than exists at present.”

Commenting on the Scottish Government’s recently published fisheries management strategy, he said it “looks promising on paper” but presents a “re-hashing of tired and failed policy”.

Sinclair continued: “Without backbone and a willingness to move from the status quo – in other words create the necessary change – they will fail the Scottish people wherever they exist to more abject failure. A once renowned opportunity lost.”

Regarding the marine environment, the SCFF says trawlers dragging heavy gear along the seabed does enormous damage to “important complex habitats”.

The report says: “Depending on the nature of the seabed, dragging trawls, particularly multi-trawls with large clump weights, can smooth the seafloor, and destroy, remove or bury plant epifauna.

“The reduced geodiversity and increased plant organism mortality adversely affects the habitat for juvenile finfish and shellfish. It is beyond doubt that creeling causes much less habitat damage.”

READ MORE: Scottish seafood industry still dealing with Tory Brexit chaos

The report comes as fishermen face mounting problems due to Brexit.

Scottish trawlermen have been told to catch fewer fish after new Brexit red tape caused long delays exporting their catch to the EU. Fish exporters said their businesses could become unviable after the introduction of health certificates, customs declarations and other paperwork added days to their delivery times.

The SCFF was backed by campaign group Open Seas. Its spokesperson Nick Underdown said: “This problem has its roots in a decision back in the 1980s to deregulate our inshore fisheries. People across Scotland are now waking up to this and as Scottish Government now consults on fishing policy, it’s time this historical wrong was righted.

“The government is already having to bail out fisheries due to the pressures of Covid and Brexit, but this money is being given away to prop up a failing system that is not yielding for Scotland.

“We could instead be using the post-Brexit opportunity to incentivise changes that will help fix our broken fisheries system. The first step is to rebuild fish populations by reinstating an inshore limit on bottom-trawling.”

However Mike Park of the SWFPA said: “We would highlight that, following a series of unfounded claims made by various groups, including the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation, Anderson Solutions conducted a comprehensive analysis of Scotland’s £80m Nephrops sector – which is the biggest in the world – examining quota, weight and value of landings, and employment.

“The report concluded that the competitiveness of the different fleet segments in Scotland is relatively well-balanced, with all sectors playing a part in sustaining the coastal communities through production of Scottish Nephrops.”

The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) said there was “no evidence” that a three-mile limit around Scotland’s coastline banning fishing vessels with mobile gear would “improve sustainability or raise earnings in the creel fleet”.

SFF policy officer Malcolm Morrison said that all fishing methods will impact on the environment in some way “just as navigation, tourism, offshore energy generation or even just weather do”.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting the industry – not least through the incredible challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our Future Fisheries Management Strategy sets out exciting policy initiatives for the next ten years, including for inshore fisheries, that will help protect the environment, strengthen local communities and support a strong, sustainable, and resilient fishing industry in Scotland.

“This latest SCFF report covers a wide range of points, many of which have been made before, on which Scottish Government economists have provided extensive feedback, in relation to the research and methodology used.”

Full story courtesy of by Billy Briggs writing for The Ferret 

The Ferret is an editorially independent, not-for-profit co-operative run by its journalists and subscribers. You can find it at https://theferret.scot/ and can subscribe for £3 a month here: https://theferret.scot/subscribe/