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Monday 13 June 2022

In Their Own Words: Fishing Industry Voices Highlight Impacts of Brexit in New Report from the APPG on Fisheries

Brexit - Many fishermen thought they were promised an exclusive 12 mile limit.

Trade, access, quotas, markets, and management of fisheries resources all highlighted for political attention by the fishing industry post-Brexit.

Financial losses and long-term viability are significant concerns for many UK fishermen and other members of the industry.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fisheries has released a report showcasing voices from across the UK fishing industry speaking on the impact of Brexit on their livelihoods – and the actions these people believe government should take to support the UK’s fishing industry.

It was frequently predicted that the UK fishing industry would benefit from Brexit, both in the run-up to the 2016 referendum and the UK’s official departure from the EU. However, industry members have said that the reality has proved to be very different. Their words form the basis of the new report, “Brexit: Voices of the UK Fishing Industry”.

Alistair Carmichael MP, Vice Chair of the APPG, suggested that the APPG compile the report following a Parliamentary debate on the same topic in mid-2021. “Having raised the myriad challenges faced by fishermen and the wider seafood industry numerous times with the government in the past two years, the work of the APPG has been vital in gathering evidence across the sector,” he said. “This timely report provides a direct insight into the unique circumstances our fishing industry has faced as a result of new trading conditions, and will be a crucial resource for those in Parliament and government aiming to support the sector.”

In winter 2021, the APPG on Fisheries released a survey to collate experiences of Brexit felt by members of the fishing industry. Responses revealed significant and shared concerns around financial losses and the long-term viability of individual businesses, fishing fleets, and other parts of the industry including processors and transporters. For example, exporters have routinely struggled to get their shipments through the border, resulting in loss of income or, in extreme cases, entire markets, while small-scale fishers have felt unable to compete with larger EU vessels which have retained some access to UK waters until at least 2026.

"This report shines a light on what is needed from policy to help support the UK's fishermen, who have suffered many negative impacts to their livelihoods as a result of Brexit," said Tina Barnes, Head of Impact at The Seafarers' Charity, which co-funded the report. "Paying heed to the recommendations from industry members themselves would help ensure they get the assistance they need."

While respondents overwhelmingly felt Brexit had not worked in their favour, many were hopeful that the situation could be improved. Their recommendations included:

Ensuring quotas are distributed and managed more fairly.

Further restricting non-UK fishing fleet access to UK waters, sooner than 2026.

Ensuring effective and inclusive management of domestic stocks.

Working with the EU to free up trade, and remove regulatory and financial barriers

Implementing more restrictions on access to UK waters for non-UK fishing fleets

Investing in infrastructure and new markets, at home and abroad.

Dr Eleanor Adamson, Fisheries Programme Manager with The Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust, which co-funded the report, said: "We are pleased to see the publication of this report, which will stand as a permanent record of the turbulent times that UK fishermen have faced in recent years, as well as providing pathways for supporting the sector where it needs support most."

Carmichael concluded: “Based on the correspondence I received personally and the accounts contained in this report, it is clear that more and better engagement is needed, and pragmatic, serious efforts to support the fishing industry are required from ministers in order to ensure that coastal communities can continue to thrive into the future.”

The report is publicly available and will also be sent to the APPG’s Parliamentary Members, relevant Ministers, and other coastal MPs.

The full report can be found on the APPG website.

For any questions, get in touch with the APPG Secretariat at secretariat@fisheriesappg.org.

Saturday 11 June 2022

Fish intel - black bream and bass..

Sussex Wildlife Trust is excited to be partnering with the University of Plymouth and Sussex Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority (IFCA) on a new project which uses novel technology to understand the movement of fish in our local area.

The Sussex-specific part of the project, which ourselves and Sussex IFCA are working on, is part of a wider project known as FISH INTEL, which is a cross-Channel partnership supported and funded by the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England programme, which focuses on a series of sites along the coastlines of southern England, northern France and Belgium.

Measuring Bass length

FISH INTEL is using fish tracking technology and underwater video surveys to help us understand more about fish movements and the habitats individual species prefer. Here in Sussex, we’ve been focussing on Black Bream (Spondyliosoma cantharus) and European Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), specifically around the Sussex IFCA’s Nearshore Trawling Byelaw area. Sussex Wildlife Trust has been able to purchase additional fish tags and acoustic receivers, thanks to funding from The Pebble Trust.

The team has been out to sea deploying acoustic receivers and tagging fish. The tagged fish emit a ‘ping’ every few minutes, which can be picked up by the receivers if they are within a 200m range. This data will allow us to create simple presence / absence maps of where the fish are going; this can then be overlaid with other data, such as habitat type, so we can identify preferred habitats and infer fish behaviour.

Additionally, Natural England have further extended the project by deploying an additional set of acoustic receivers within the Kingmere Marine Conservation Zone, which is an area of particular benefit to Black Seabream during their breeding season (this is due to the specific habitat that male Bream use to build their nests).

The equipment was deployed this spring and data will be retrieved at intervals throughout the year. Watch this space for future updates on the project, we hope to have some interesting data to share, particularly as we start to see the Sussex kelp forests restore over time.

Releasing tagged fish

All fishes are tagged by individuals from the University of Plymouth holding a UK Government Home Office License; the tags are selected so as to cause minimal disturbance to the fish once in place.

Tagged black sea bream have a notch cut out of their tail so that they can be identified. If you catch a fish with a notched tail, please photograph, release and report location and data to the FISH INTEL team.

All acoustic receiver equipment has been deployed under the necessary Marine Management Organisation license.

If you find the acoustic receivers either coastally or at sea, please do not interfere with this equipment. If you think the equipment may be dislodged or damaged, please alert the FISH INTEL team.

To keep in touch with the project, visit:

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/marine-conservation-research-group/fish-intel-interreg

FISH INTEL Contact: fishintel_interreg_fce@plymouth.ac.uk

Full story courtesy of Living Seas Officer, Sarah Ward.

Friday 10 June 2022

Fine #FishyFriday in Newlyn with the fleet all at sea.

With fuel now costing in excess of 120p a litre the boats are maximising every hour they can at sea - an empty harbour on June!..

overnight the Ajax popped a nice trip of hake ashore...

known locally as a plus-four, the greater fork-beard...

unusual castellated conger...

spurdogs are still being caught, luckily not all the fleet have to dump them under the real time shark monitoring scheme...

as Tom looks out over the bay the Cornish air Ambulance pays a visit to Newlyn Green...

one of last year's black-back gull finding a comfortable place to rest - on top of a sardine net being got ready for the coming sardine season which should start next month...

a couple of visiting Brixham stern trawlers, Sophie Jane of Ladram

and the Stronsay Maid...

those lucky enough to live on the edge of the harbour would once have been able to dive in at high water from their back door...

Photo courtesy of Treeve on Picture Penzance taken in 1982.

straight into Keel Alley where plenty of Newlyn boys and girls learnt to swim - some the hard way, thrown in by so-called, 'mates'!

Thursday 9 June 2022

Fisheries and Seafood Scheme: Panel Dates Announced

The Marine Management Organisation has confirmed the first panel dates for the re-launched Fisheries and Seafood Scheme and is inviting applications from the industry.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is inviting applications for the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS).

The grant scheme – administered by MMO on behalf of Defra – was relaunched in April to help support the long-term sustainability, resilience, and prosperity of the seafood sector across England. It will deliver £6m per year in funding until April 2025, providing long term investment to the sector.

The new-look scheme builds on the success of FaSS, which first opened last year and supported more than 550 projects across a range of seafood and marine businesses, charities and other organisations.

Improvements this year include simplified guidance, enhanced levels of funding for micro-entities and funding that is better targeted at the sector’s needs.

The scheme will continue to match fund projects that boost business resilience and increase sustainability across our world-class fishing industry, further strengthening support for food producers across the catching, processing, and aquaculture sectors.

Applications with a total project cost of more than £150,000 must be considered by the FaSS panel, which is responsible for reviewing and recommending projects in line with the overall objectives of the scheme.

Michelle Willis, Director of Finance and Resources at MMO said: “Building on the success of year one, the relaunched FaSS has is already attracting a lot of interest from the industry and we are delighted to announce the first panel dates for applications with a total project cost of more than £150,000.

“The scheme aims to support the long-term sustainability and success of the seafood sector throughout England, and we encourage potential applicants to act now and get in touch, our Grants Team are here to support you through the process.”

The panels for 2022 are expected to take place week commencing 22 August and week commencing 28 November. Applications to be considered at these sessions should be completed and submitted to MMO by 1 July and 7 October respectively.

You can contact the MMO Grants Team on 0208 026 5539 to discuss any potential panel application or visit the MMO website for guidance and information on how to make an application.

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Wednesday 8 June 2022

On World Ocean Day - bass hunters.

Cap'n Cod beating his way home from the Runnelstone Reef.

On #WorldOceanDay, lets not forget that our fishermen from Cornwall along with thousands of others around the world along with the 'cow-boys' who fish off the Breton coast - all pit their wits and skills in the enduring battle between man, the fish they chase and the elements. Though these days increasing bureaucracy and legislation must seem even more insurmountable than the heavy swell these single handed fishermen often face.

This article, courtesy of Paris Match, tells one such story, one that is repeated all around the oceans.

"Alone aboard small boats, about thirty men perpetuate angling off Finistère. Where the earth is dying and the ocean is rising, the saying warns: "Who sees Ouessant, sees his blood, who sees, Sein sees his end." But, under the leaden sky, this broth bristling with reefs is so rich in plankton that it attracts some 130 species of fish, including bass: the Holy Grail.

It is a formidable, shapeless, unpredictable sea. A sector where it is not good to venture when one has a bad heart. The Iroise Sea, which bathes Finistère, obeys nothing and no one. The waves of the Atlantic end their mad race there by mixing with the tidal currents. “Between the Ile de Sein (see the web cam below) , Le Four, Ouessant, Pointe Saint-Mathieu, Cap de la Chèvre, Pointe du Raz, everything is nothing but a garden of thorns on a medieval sea that would defend itself against the intruder.

So speaks Olivier de Kersauson. The intruders here are the men: around twenty angling fishermen throwing themselves into the broth every day, armed with a line and a hook. Alone aboard small overpowered boats, they risk their necks for one of the most sought-after fish on the French coast: the bass. It's spectacular fishing, a furious ballet where the man confronts the animal "fairly", tiller wedged between the legs, throttle in the left hand and simple rod in the right hand. From the coast, tourists watch the rodeo. "They're cowboys," tells us an old Breton woman out to air her hair. Swell cowboys. Welcome to the West Lighthouse."