14 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Adobe Stock Bottom trawling is damaging the seabirds, dolphins and porpoises that many UK marine protected areas were created to safeguard, and should be banned across those sites, according to a new report from the campaign group Oceana UK. The report, Trawled and Mauled, argues that protection existing on paper is not being delivered […]
30 Sep 2025
Photo by Ricardo Resende Industry rejects scientific advice as catastrophic The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has recommended zero catch quotas for all cod stocks in the Northern Shelf for 2026, prompting strong responses from fishing industry representatives who warn the advice could devastate fleets across Scotland and England. Mike […]
11 Jun 2024
Eight in ten adults in the UK (81%) feel that bottom-trawl fishing should be banned in marine protected areas (MPAs), according to new polling commissioned by the charity Oceana UK. Those in favour of banning bottom trawling in MPAs was shown in a sample of 2,111 UK adults, for polling commissioned by the charity, 566 […]
21 Feb 2023
Chris Ranford will be the next Chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations. He was elected recently by the NFFO’s Executive Committee and will take up the Chair later in the year after the Federation’s AGM. His day job is as Chief Executive of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation, where he succeeded Paul Trebilcock […]
17 Jan 2023
From the NFFO: The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) have joined together to create a new industry/science forum. The inaugural meeting was held on the 30th November 2022, facilitating a more direct dialogue between the fishing industry and fisheries scientists from Cefas. NFFO Chief […]
05 Jul 2022
The marine consultancy ABPmer has developed a series of scenarios to better understand and communicate issues surrounding future spatial pressures on fisheries. The consultancy was contracted by the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) with the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF). The NFFO press release states that ‘the report was produced among mounting concerns within the fishing […]
21 Jun 2022
The report was developed in collaboration with WWF, RSPB, the NFFO, North Sea Wildlife Trusts and the University of Hull. The news release from the Marine Conservation Society states that the main findings of the report are: Technology to reduce harmful fuel use and cut emissions already exists today, and many fishers have shown interest […]
01 Jun 2021
The appointment of Richard Benyon as Defra minister in the House of Lords has prompted a rethink within the NFFO on its approach to the management of marine protected areas. In a long blog post, NFFO sets out its views and concerns: “To this point, our approach has been to challenge the Government’s shift from […]
