Fishing Focus

The last Fishing Focus came out in May before the EU referendum. Reading this you might be forgiven for wondering whether it took place at all. It is well worth going through this Fishing Focus in detail because it highlights a range of items from the UK’s position on deep sea fishing to reports and programmes it would be very easy to miss.  

On Brexit and Defra I picked up just two sentences: ‘In recognition of the importance of marine and fisheries for EU Exit, Defra has created a separate directorate’. … ‘Alongside our ‘business as usual’ activities, we’re listening to your views on making the most of new opportunities when we leave the EU to realise our vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas.’   Which poses the interesting question about whether much of the good work & progress on fisheries reported in this newsletter is simply going to be dumped when we leave the CFP?

In this issue you can read about:

• Reducing discards
• December Fisheries Council
• European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
• UK queen scallop fishery consultation – UK administrations
• Cod Plan amendment – major changes to cod fisheries
• Avoiding spurdog by-catch Defra, the MMO and Cefas
• Marine Protected Areas – Completing and managing the ‘Blue belt’
• Inshore Vessel Monitoring System – IVMS Update
• Sea angling 2017 survey
• MMO news – Marine planning
• Deep sea fisheries – Informal agreement
• Marine Noise
• Ghost fishing gear

Some of the articles

UK queen scallop fishery consultation – UK administrations are seeking views on proposals to improve the management of the UK queen scallop fishery in the Irish Sea. The proposals include increasing the minimum size of scallop that can be retained and options for restricting access to the fishery. i You can respond to the consultation which closes on 3 January 2017.

Avoiding spurdog by-catch Defra, the MMO and Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) are working with the Shark Trust and Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation on the next phase of a trial of a spurdog by-catch avoidance tool. This follows a significant effort by the UK to secure a by-catch allowance enabling us to further develop and promote this novel approach to managing potential ‘choke’ species under the landing obligation. Six vessels will now be trialling the spurdog by-catch reporting tool in the South West, using a variety of gears such as trawls and nets. Fishermen joining the pilot project have a dispensation from the MMO to allow landing of dead spurdog. The fishermen will be providing real-time, daily reports of their spurdog by-catch. Advisory maps will be prepared from the reports to inform fishermen where there is a risk of encountering spurdog. You can find out more about the Spurdog by-catch. The MMO have issued dispensation letters to the selected vessels taking part in the avoidance programme that allows those vessels to retain on-board and land dead spurdog.

If you would like any further information, please contact Cefas on 01502 527719 or CFPO on 01736 351050.

Further information on previous projects can be found at: A Spurdog Case Study; and the Spurdog Bycatch Avoidance Programme.

Deep sea fisheries – Informal agreement

There is now an informal agreement between the Presidency, European Parliament and Commission on a package of measures to regulate deep sea fisheries in EU waters. The measures will protect deep sea species and vulnerable marine ecosystems and manage deep sea fisheries in a proportionate way. The Deep Sea Fisheries Regulation will secure a ‘3-way lock’ on deep sea bottom trawling activity. An 800m depth ban on bottom trawling in deeper waters will protect vulnerable marine ecosystems there. The package includes protection for specific areas with vulnerable marine ecosystems in waters shallower than 800m by closing them to bottom trawling. A ‘fishing footprint’ will restrict the activities of targeting vessels using bottom trawls to within established fishing grounds. UK fishing industry representatives and environmental groups, particularly through the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, have worked closely with Defra, the Devolved Administrations and others to help shape the Regulation. The Regulation is going through its final adoption process, culminating in the European Parliament vote on it which is expected in December. The new measures are likely to come into force early in 2017.