Registrations and records submitted though the MMO’s electronic catch recording app continue to increase
MMO ‘The Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) new digital catch recording app now has more than 1300 registered users in the Under 10 metre fishing fleet.
The new digital catch recording app, developed by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), with involvement from the fishing community, now has more than 1300 registered users in the Under 10 metre fishing fleet.
Thousands of catch records have been made and submitted since its launch, with numbers continuing to grow.
It is the first time that skippers in the small scale fleet have had the opportunity to record their catch in this way. Accurate records of what fish is taken out of the sea are vital for better planning of future fish quotas and better representing fishing interests in key decision making. The app is also designed to help individual fishers keep a track of their recorded catches. Click here to read more
Fish Focus Catch App – still posing problems
Catch App for Under-10s. The MMO is introducing a mobile phone-based catch app for recording catches from the under 10 metre fleet. The NFFO addresses questions that have arisen.
Q: Are there problems with the new catch app?
A: Yes. After several problems were raised by members about the app at the NFFO AGM in 2018, the MMO delayed implementation of the new system. The new version was rolled out in January, but some small-scale fishermen are still facing problems.
Q: What sort of problems?
A: The NFFO has submitted this list to the MMO:
1. The app is missing several ports. The MMO advice in these circumstances is to use next nearest port. However, on the face of it, it is an offence to list wrong port when using the app to record catch
2. The app will not accept part kgs, so 250g red mullet, rounded up to 1kg, 2x 350g john dory rounded up to 1kg. Both rounding on the face of it, create offences as the estimates are automatically outside 10% tolerance
3. Some harbours have no phone signal. MMO has advised it will transmit when back in range. It is however an offence to land without prior notification
4. A 50kg exemption is available to larger vessels. That makes life a lot easier, but the same concession is not available to the under-10m fleet
But Save our Sea bass want it to be implemented: ‘The new mobile phone catch recording app for Under 10 Metre fishing vessels is essential for protecting fish stocks in nearshore waters. For the first time ever we will have good quality data on U10 landings and it will allow proper enforcement of the U10 annual bass catch limits, quotas and gear types. But U10 fishermen are lobbying their MPs hard to get the MMO to scrap it. So we sea anglers must get our voices heard to make sure the app is not watered-down or ditched. Please send an email to your MP by clicking here – it will take you about 1 minute to help massively improve protection for your local fish stocks.
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