However, the Defra spokesman underlined that Mr Shaw, who wanted to to see a "sustainable and viable" English inshore fleet had mentioned a limited and targeted decommissioning scheme as a possible option, not a definite plan.

As well as decommissioning, a whole range of ideas had been aired, he said and possible proposals would go out for consultation.

Other optiions aired were:

A new approach to quota management, more stable catch limits.

Better collaboration with fishermen’s organisations which manage quota, to make maximum use of all available quota.

Allowing vessels to obtain quota from outside the inshore fleet.

Capping the number of fishing vessel licences to stop fleet getting too big.

Help for fishermen to improve or diversify their businesses.

Mr Shaw had said he knew the difficulties inshore fishermen faced but there are no easy answers.

But there is not enough quota to go around, so they must manage what they have for the good of the majority of inshore fishermen, he said.

Meanwhile, The Marine and Fisheries Agency will announce new quota management arrangements shortly, designed to set clearer catch limits and enable fishermen to plan ahead better.

Mr Shaw also gave the go-ahead for a study to measure the environmental footprint of inshore fishermen.

The project will see fishermen from Hartlepool, Lowestoft and the Thames Estuary gather data including fuel consumption, type of fishing gear used, discards, and fish waste. This evidence will help ensure that long-term management decisions affecting the inshore fleet are sustainable.

Jim Portus, Chief Executive of the South Western Fish Producers Organisation and recently re-appointed Chairman of the UK Association of Fish Producer Organisations Ltd, said today that for too long the difficulties in relation to quota availability of the English under-10m fleet have dominated the headlines.

“At last, there is in sight a long-term solution that seeks to resolve the over-capacity situation through scrapping the excess, while in the short-term the owners that require quota to stay legally within the monthly limits can again enter the market on an equal footing with their counterparts in the fleet of larger vessels.”

But already, he said,the English producer organisations, represented by UKAFPO, had agreed to co-operate to ensure that unused quota is redirected if it can be better utilised elsewhere.

Mr Portus said, “As proof of our willingness to help, SWFPO members transferred 70 tonnes of plaice and 35 tonnes of sole to the under-10m sector in 2007. Other POs made similar contributions. We will, no doubt, make similar arrangements this year, although deep cuts in some quotas may bring us fresh problems.”

Mr Portus said options aired by the Minister included not only scrapping those vessels that have been the greatest burden to the quota allocated to the small-boat sector, but also to prevent resurgence of activity from latent capacity.

There were thousands of boats in the fleet, most of which are not truly active, Mr Portus said.

Now steps were on the cards to cap the fleet at the reduced, post-decommissioning level. And a suggested £5 million will remove a significant part of the fleet from the “Super-Ten” bracket.

These boats had the greatest impact on the quota available. Many of the owners migrated from the big-boat sector to escape the regulations that have now caught up with them, some having cashed-in their fishing track records.

He added: “There have already been complaints that owners who sold their quotas and sold or shortened their boats to escape the rules are now being bailed-out with taxpayers’ money. I urge everyone to accept the undeniable logic of the Minister’s plan. These boats have to go because there can never be enough quota for the present fleet. Before, when the Ministry officials did not count the landings from these small boats, it didn’t seem to matter. Now things are different. Owners of the fleet of larger vessels have already restructured at great expense and sometimes with decommissioning cash, to comply with the rules. Now it is the turn of the under-10m fleet to make similar mature business decisions. They must either take the scrapping cash and get out, or use their own resources to stay legally within the system.”

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend