Projects in the Field: A Fishing Logbook, with a Purpose

Much of the attention over the past few years in electronic reporting has focused on the commercial and for-hire fishing industries. Until recently, these two sectors reported data on paper logs that were sent to fisheries managers via snail mail. When corrections were needed, captains received a letter in the mail along with their paper logbooks and requested 

changes or fixes. Corrections made—and a stamp and envelope later—reports would be sent back to the requesting agency to be manually entered into a database.

Although I feel like I am dating myself, the truth is that electronic reporting has only been around for a handful of years. Harbor Light Software, working on behalf of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP), developed the eTRIPS mobile electronic reporting platform used by commercial and for-hire captains from Maine to Texas to report their catch and effort. Unlike paper logbooks, electronic trip reports offer users instant verification and feedback of their reports. Users of electronic trip reporting tell us that the use of paper logbooks is now in the rear-view mirror forever.

But what about the recreational fishing sector? How do we better determine catch and effort in this growing group of anglers? That question is bubbling up to the surface of recent fisheries management discussions.

Enter the mobile app, AnglerCatch. A unique citizen science project put forward by the State of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA), funded in 2021 by a grant from the National Fish & Wildlife’s (NFWF) Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Grant Program. Since Rhode Island was the epicenter of development of electronic reporting in for-hire and commercial fisheries, they were quite adept at taking on a new challenge of voluntary recreational trip reporting.

New England recreational anglers had been asking for a feedback mechanism to provide fishing data for over ten years, specifically on Striped Bass and Black Seabass, two species with a very high discard rate in the region. Understanding the magnitude of discards is imperative, as many species have associated discard rates that are otherwise unaccounted for. Further, recreational discard data is increasingly important as more recreational species are under regulatory action aimed at reducing harvest. The resulting shortened fishing seasons, lower bag limits, and increased minimum sizes have resulted in more fish being discarded at sea and therefore not available for direct observation and measurement.

Anglers and fisheries managers had a sense that the current method of collecting recreational fishing data through the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), could be strengthened and supplemented, resulting in better data to inform fisheries management decisions. Fisheries managers and anglers identified what they felt were drawbacks of MRIP’s Access Point Angler Interview Survey (APAIS). That survey collects catch rates via in-person or dockside interviews, which can suffer from anglers’ recall bias, or may not include a full picture of their catch. The random nature of the MRIP survey also does not guarantee an opportunity for all anglers to provide data about their fishing activity on a regular basis. As such, many anglers stated their lack of input left them feeling disenfranchised with MRIP. APAIS interviewers are often not allowed to conduct interviews at private docks, so catches landing at those docks go uncollected. Lastly, some charter captains began telling their anglers not to participate or speak with APAIS personnel, as they felt the data collected through the program did not accurately reflect what they saw on the water. Giving anglers a tool to provide data about their fishing effort, while complementing MRIP to help fill in data gaps, was seen as a win/win for both anglers and fishery managers.

The AnglerCatch project began with RISAA sending surveys to 1,100+ of its core members to gauge interest in voluntary catch reporting. 223 anglers responded, with a good mix of fishing segments represented; offshore, surf/shore, and even 32 kayak anglers were interested in providing data. From these respondents, RISAA established an electronic reporting panel consisting of anglers with varying fishing-method perspectives to guide the project through inception, roll out, and into the future. This diverse angler panel provided input on the project while its members acted as program ambassadors and encouraged their colleagues to engage with the AnglerCatch program. Next, ideation sessions were held with 10-15 anglers in a group who were tasked to provide input on the following questions, “What would encourage anglers to engage in our trip reporting pilot?” and “What kinds of application program features would keep anglers engaged in year two, three, and into the future?” Their feedback was then used to develop an angler survey that was sent to over 7,500 affiliated RISAA members. The goal of this survey was to build consensus on key program initiatives and launch activities.

Unlike paper logbooks, electronic trip reports offer users instant verification and feedback of their reports. Users of electronic trip reporting tell us that the use of paper logbooks is now in the rear-view mirror forever.

Feedback from the panel, the ideation groups, and the survey focused on providing data to fisheries management as the most important part of the project. Project personnel did a good job managing anglers’ expectations in this early stage so the fishermen understood that using their data for management decisions would take time and additional work.

The anglers on the panel were clear in their feedback; their motivation to provide data was not only for the short term, but the long term as well. As a group, they saw themselves as an additional source of data, one often overlooked. The anglers explained that citizen science and voluntary reporting were noble ideas, but they believed there should be incentives for them to continue to provide data after the first season. Feedback pointed to providing the angler with free “fishing tools” such as weather, buoys, tides, regulations and solunar data that would help them fish better. Enter the concept of “A fishing logbook, with a purpose”.

The idea behind AnglerCatch was to mimic the APAIS interview wherever possible, with questions such as:

“Was your fishing effort > or < three miles from shore?”;

“What was your fishing mode?” i.e. Charter/private/pier/beach/bank;

“What was your gear type?”; and

“What was your target species?”

The application was built using the MRIP standards for data fields for things such as species, gears, and fishing mode,  with the intention of delivering the data collected to the same agency that collects APAIS data, the Atlantic Coast Cooperative Statistic Program, ACCSP.

Although AnglerCatch rolled out at the end of fishing season 2021, the expanded fishing tools and marketing for the app did not occur until 2022. Utilizing the app, RIDEM was able to capture details, including lengths, of kept and discarded fish on just under 500 catches. These data are currently being reviewed by RIDEM while we continue to move forward with development on the app.

We are excited to announce that AnglerCatch has received additional funding from the ACCSP for 2023 that will allow continued development on the mobile app. Through a program with ESRI, Harbor Light will be adding in features such as nautical mapping. Other features will include fishing regulations displayed within the app, and additional work will be completed to facilitate sending these data to the ACCSP data warehouse where it will be available to all East Coast partners.

Fran Karp is Chief Operating Officer at Harbor Light Software. She welcomes your questions and comments about AnglerCatch or any of the company’s other initiatives. Projects in the Field is a series of independently produced articles profiling work supported by NFWF’s Electronic Monitoring & Reporting Grant Program, and is meant to raise awareness and support for these important initiatives. 

By Fran Karp

Tragic - post from a fisherman, on the impact the HPMA would have on his way of life. This is how it affects the human. #mpmaa

Hopefully, Kenny won't mind me reposting this. Not only does it capture in words why fishermen feel the way they do about thier futures it also explains in simple terms their affinity for the job, the sea and the way of life which seems to count for nothing -match that against huge industried and orgaisations wreaking havoc on the planet on an industrial scale. 

"Guilt and shame is all you're allowed to feel as a fisherman now, I genuinely don't know what my place is in this changing world. For 27 years it's been my family's sole income, it has allowed me to stay on my home island and get on the property ladder against all the odds. My boat has helped feed and clothe 8 local kids over the years. Even through the worst years my crews have not earned less that £30,000. 

More than all of that it is a calling that not many people can understand, a freedom to work and exist in the environment that surrounds us, nobody to answer to except your own wits and decisions. The feeling when it all works out is irreplaceable. I had always thought that the lack of management and our own greed would be the undoing of us, but no, the stocks have held up remarkably well from the bad days when 10m boats thought nothing of working 2,000 creels. 

Now things have settled back into a calmer, more sensible pace, a few management tweaks would see the job flourish again. 

Outside of our target species I can honestly say my impact on biodiversity has been absolutely minimal. there is no by-catch in creels well none that can't be returned alive anyway, and before anyone says it I have been fortunate enough to have never entangled a whale. 

If these HPMAs go ahead in their current form it will be over for us, I fully expect given the designation parameters- layering with existing protected areas, this part of the coast will be inundated with designations. Treshnish Islands (SAC), Coll and Tiree (SPA) Small Isles (MPA), the list is endless. My business is only successful with the ability to rotated grounds and species throughout the seasons, any interruption to that and displaced effort will make it unviable and damaging for areas without enclosures. I will turn 44 next month, my kids are 15 and 14. The thought of starting over at this point in my life is terrifying, I have put my heart and soul into the fishing and never thought I'd find myself in this position. 

Please fill out the consultation before the 17th

This could change life in the islands forever. Any potential long term benefits from HPMAs cannot justify the definite socioeconomic damage to some very vulnerable communities. 

#hpma

Plenty of fish and plenty of wind - Newlyn battens down.

With the shipping forecast giving 8s, 9s and 10s most of the fleet are now safely tucked up in port...

although a few of the punt guys, including the Cornish fisherman in his bright yellow punt avec outboard put in a few hours first thing...

though it seems Chunky in the Ajax has other ideas and is bound away...

preceding the wild weather there were good landings of bass on the market this morning...

along with some big grey mullet from the same boat...

three of the Stevenson fleet put ashore their trips of prime beam trawl fish including this cracking turbot...

a few big JDs...

and a good supply of brill...

along with red mullet...

and a decent run of plaice...

and plenty of scampi tails...

if you ever get the chance, give greater weavers a go, a very sweet tasty fish...

the plaice get bigger...

and of course there were plenty of Dovers...

and megrim soles...

yet more bassd...

and more of the big Mediterranean octopus...

that the crabbers are finding more and more of in their pots making a meal out of any lobsters which they seem to favour instead of brown crab which have much harder shells of course...

big monk tails, ideal for roasting...

recycling has always played a part in the fishing industry - nothing is wasted and the carcasses of big fish are destined for the potters pots as bait...

the wise old resident seal hangs around most mornings hoping someone will toss him some breakfast...

this time of year brings plenty of visitors ...

in the form of inshore trawlers and scallopers...

mostly from Falmouth...

all three landed this morning...

Richard Carrol, skipper of the Winter of Ladram has a full day ahead  setting strops on new back ropes... 

Mr Oats picks up gear from the Stelissa...

as the port's biggest beam trawler heads for the gaps...

the netter Ajax heads out to sea...

it's a crowded harbour and with many of the boats drawing much more than boats of old the newer ones are now restricted to berthing and moving at or near high water...

evidence of the voracious appetite that marine worms like gribble have for wood...

the two biggest crabbers in the Waterdance fleet, Nichola of Ladram and the Winter of Ladram...

one of the local shags is a bit of a poser...

the turquoise team.

Blown it: Coastal States spectacularly fail to meet their own deadline to agree shares on Northeast Atlantic Mackerel

 

In December 2022, the Northeast Atlantic Coastal States announced they had set themselves a deadline, 31st March 2023, to reach an agreement on the sharing of Northeast Atlantic mackerel catch. As their own “hard deadline” passed, the negotiations ended in dismal failure with no agreement reached. What will it take for the Coastal States to work for the common good – and meet their own sustainability commitments?

There are serious problems in the Northeast Atlantic mackerel fishery - overfishing has been happening since 2009.

No concrete steps were taken to rectify the fundamental management flaws that are fuelling this overfishing and in 2019 the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification was suspended from the mackerel fisheries due to poor governance and inadequate management.

In the same year, the global marketplace for seafood realised that relying on the Northeast Atlantic Coastal States to put aside their own national interests and work collaboratively to agree sustainable catch shares and end overfishing was futile. Over the last decade, negotiations between the seven parties have routinely broken down, with them instead looking to maximise their individual shares.

The North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) was established with a very simple, and focussed aim: to use market pressure to drive the Coastal States to put aside their politics and instead collaborate to ensure that catches do not exceed sustainable levels.

By 2022 NAPA had become an unprecedented coalition of more than 60 leading retailers and supply-chain businesses from across the world, united by this common problem. We have used our voice to engage with all Coastal States, have established a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) with a 3-year deadline (to 2024) and published individual consequences of failure – ranging from reviewing sourcing to walking away.

During the annual talks held between the Coastal States last year it finally looked like some progress was being made; the parties set themselves a deadline[1] to reach a final agreement on the sharing of mackerel quotas before 31st March 2023. If achieved, this would mean collective agreement on allocations that, when summed together, would not exceed the sustainable catch level for mackerel recommended by scientists.

Three meetings were scheduled in the first quarter of 2023 to achieve this ambitious goal. At the first meeting each of the delegations noted their commitment to reaching a sharing agreement and there was an acknowledgement that no party will get 100% of what they are asking for. However, the second meeting was back to the olds ways of finger-pointing and obduracy. The third meeting concluded on 30th March, and ended with a whimper, the report of the meeting noting the Coastal States “required more time to reach a comprehensive and inclusive set of arrangements.”

A direct consequence of this outcome is that the NAPA FIP for mackerel and herring will be downgraded to a D rating This may well have serious implications for NAPA members who have committed to only purchasing from FIPs rated A-C.

NAPA Project Lead, Dr Tom Pickerell, said:

“We had thought that Northeast Atlantic mackerel was being taken seriously by the Coastal States, and their self-imposed “hard deadline” would stimulate agreement on catch shares. But once again the market, and the consumers they serve, are left frustrated and disappointed. The obstacles are wholly political. The solution lies entirely with the Coastal States and their willingness to reach agreement. Their own lofty commitments to sustainable fishing are worthless in the face of this outcome.”

All the Coastal States catching Northeast Atlantic pelagics have agreed to uphold the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 14 on ‘life below water’:

By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting, and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics.

But these are just hollow words it seems. North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA)

FISHERMEN GROUPS TAKE INDUSTRY’S CONCERNS TO THE MCA

A meeting involving groups representing fishermen from all four administrations in the UK took place with the MCA last week, including representatives from NUTFA, the NFFO, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), the Northern Ireland Fishermen’s Federation (NIFF) and the Welsh Fishermen’s Association.

Fit fisherman at work, but are they fit enough for the MCA?!

The meeting, held to discuss the introduction of new medical requirements across the entire fishing sector, also included representation from the Fishermen’s Mission. However, the discussions about industry concerns over the current plans for certification by the end of November failed to make any discernible progress.

Derek Cardno, safety officer for the SFF, told Fishing News: “Parts of the meeting were very constructive. Industry representatives put a strong case forward that medicals were never brought in to have a negative effect on fishermen’s health and wellbeing.

“We remain committed to seeing existing fishermen being recognised as able to do their jobs safely while utilising the grandfather rights in terms of being issued a medical certificate.

“SFF hopes that the MCA works with industry to find a solution to the current situation, with a strong and clear message to those remaining fishermen who require a medical to utilise the grandfather rights before 30 November. If fishermen delay seeking their medical after this date, they won’t be eligible for grandfather rights, so SFF strongly encourages fishermen to come forward before then.”

Speaking to FN after the meeting, NFFO safety officer Charles Blyth said: “At the request of the MCA, the NFFO has been actively encouraging fishermen to go for a medical examination.We have developed and implemented our own guide explaining the process, and have undertaken harbour visits to meet and inform fishermen.

“The experience to date has led to fishermen having profound concerns about the process. In the last six months, as the inshore fleet became aware of the requirement, we have identified a number of issues, concerning grandfather rights, particularly for single-handed vessels, the appeals process, and the lack of availability of GPs willing to undertake ML5 examinations.

“We were disappointed at the lack of tangible progress made at the meeting. We raised a series of concerns about the implementation of the current proposals, and stressed that as they stand, they are creating a huge amount of concern across wide swathes of the industry, and are seriously impacting fishermen’s welfare.”

NIFF said after the meeting: “Fishermen’s health is important, so the MCA would do far better to continue working with industry to get this right, than it would to push through poor policy just to meet deadlines.”

A Mission spokesperson said: “The Fishermen’s Mission has observed a growth in anxiety across the fishing community, and recognises that many fishermen are very concerned by what they are hearing about medical certification and what constitutes a pass or fail, when it comes to ML5, and the consequences.

“SeaFit has also been fortunate to have been able to bring some GPs to the quayside, and is in discussion about ML5 examinations for some fishermen. We wish we could offer that service in every port.

“Through these events, it has become apparent that the ML5 requirement is not well understood. SeaFit has attempted to share information and ‘spread the word’, but fishermen are seeking a greater clarity as to the pass/fail criteria, the potential restrictions that might be placed upon them, and the impact that will have on their ability to work.

“Even some of the better-informed have indicated that they do not fully understand the requirement, nor what ‘grandfather rights’ truly means.”

For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here. 

Read the MCA’s recent statement here. 

Sign up to Fishing News’ FREE e-newsletter here. 

Fish of the Day - week 20 - the humble herring

While the coasts of Ireland, the North of England and Scotland might support huge shoals of herring, ....

Newlyn sees very few of the 15,600 tons of these ultra-tasty fish during the course of a year - the Cornwall Good Seafood Guide tells the full story - "Herring is rarely targeted by Cornish boats. The latest scientific data (June 2020) shows that herring stocks in the Celtic sea are currently very low and are being over fished (though this is being carried out by boats from outside Cornwall). Herring landed to Cornwall are caught by gill netters, drift netters and by ring netting, mainly from the south coast. Fishing methods used have no or little impact on the seabed and are currently managed at an appropriate level. In the Celtic sea the majority of the catch is made by the Irish fishing fleet who are operating under a long term management plan since 2011 and a rebuilding plan has been in place since 2009, however the latest ICES report shows that stocks are very low and this species gets a default rating of 5 due to advice from ICES that there should be a zero catch in 2022. Little is known about stocks in the Western Channel. 11 tonnes of herring were landed to Cornish ports in 2019 (MMO data)"....

and just to add insult to injury, because there is no distinction made between the method or impact of fishing on a particular species handliners get a raw deal and their fish is considered 'unsustainable' simply because the stock overall is considered to be in a poor state - the fact that their catches amount to almost nothing does not seem to figure - the same goes for other bulk species like mackerel as this recent media story highlights...

mainly in nets worked by small singlehanded punts - like sardines, they are not a fish that falls for the fishermen's lure of feathered hooks like mackerel...

though, salted down, like mackerel they make excellent bait for the inshore lobster fishermen...

of course when it comes to eating fish one of the all time great delights are freshly smoked herring - or kippers, not to be confused with a certain local fisherman hailing from Porthleven - this photo of 'Kipper' was taken aboard the longliner KimBill in 1981...

of course, if you ever want to know more about the humble herring and kippers,  seek out Mike Smylie, better known as 'The Kipperman' at any food festival worth its salt! He'll tell you the difference between a high-dry and a bloater!

 

Spurdog guidance 2023 Updated 27 March 2023

Spurdog guidance 2023 Updated 27 March 2023

Contents

1. Changes to spurdog rules in 2023 and onwards

2. Removing spurdog from the prohibited list

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1. Changes to spurdog rules in 2023 and onwards

As per the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), delegations from the United Kingdom and the European Union met between November and December 2022 to consult on fishing opportunities for 2023, and for certain deep-sea stocks for 2023 and 2024. The Heads of Delegations agreed to recommend to their respective authorities the fishery arrangements such as Spurdog.

Formal written record: Fisheries: consultations between the UK and the EU - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

2. Removing spurdog from the prohibited list

Following ICES advice that the Northeast Atlantic Spurdog stock is recovering and can support a significant level of landings for 2023 and 2024, the UK, EU agreement allows for a Spurdog fishery to commence in UK and EU waters.

UPDATED MARCH 2023: The Sea Fisheries Statutory Instrument in respect of Seabass, Spurdog, Mako shark (2023 No.273) was laid before Parliament on 8th March 2023 and will come into force on 1st April 2023. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/273/made.

Separate total allowable catches have been agreed for the North Sea (UK share 2,781 tonnes, to be managed through sectorial FQA allocation) and Western waters (UK share 4,825 tonnes, managed by monthly limits set through licence variations).

For Spurdog (Squalus acanthias) this means the following:

2.1 When operating in UK, EU and International waters - From the 1st of April 2023 The landing obligation will apply to specimens 100cm or less.

It is prohibited to retain, tranship or land Spurdog above 100cm in length as measured from the end of the tail to the tip of the snout.

2.2 Catch Reporting

As with all species separate catch reports (FARs) must be made for catches from respective EU and UK zones.

2.3 Quotas

North Sea UK quota (2,781 tonnes) 75% will be apportioned between UK fisheries administrations using FQAs for allocation to sectoral groups. The remaining UK quota (25%) will be held as a reserve and considered for allocation later this year. Please speak to your fisheries administration for details on quota allocations.

Western UK quota (4,825 tonnes) will be kept unallocated and managed through monthly tonnage limits in UK vessel licences. These will be closely monitored and adjusted as necessary in year. Please see your vessel licence for details on monthly tonnages effective from 1 April.