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THE now '"desperate situation" faced by fishing vessels subject to the EU Cod Management Plan was top of the list at a recent NFFO executive committee meeting in York.
The Federation, which is facing a heavy workload over the next few months, has warned that these fleets face pre-programmed reductions in quotas and days-at-sea, despite the fact that scientists have ruled the plan not fit for purpose and the European Commission has ceased to defend it.
It has urged Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon to intervene to secure a pause to the automatic reductions, whilst a revised plan can be sorted out in the longer term.
Following a productive meeting with Defra officials, the executive finalised its positions on TACs and Quotas for next year. In general terms, and with a few important justifiable exceptions, the NFFO said it could following the scientific recommendations but is insistent that the Commission’s fundamentalist approach to TACs, and its wrongheaded approach to dealing with data-poor stocks through TAC cuts, must be solidly rejected.
The NFFO’s position paper on Shellfish Policy was formally adopted by the executive committee. It addresses the problem of latent capacity in the high-catching, offshore, part of the fleet and argues for the importance of retaining flexibility in the inshore sector. The toolbox approach to technical measures is an important part of the paper, which will now be presented to government. It is hoped that this new initiative will break the logjam that has held up progress on shellfish policy because of its focus on over-complex approaches such as a national pot limitation scheme or the introduction of shellfish quotas.
On Marine Conservation Zones, the committee heard back from a meeting of the MPA Fishing Coalition which met recently with Natural England, Defra and the MMO. The Coalition has successfully challenged Natural England’s claims to have a management role (as well as an advisory and “stakeholder” role) and questioned the quality of the evidence- base on which a network of 178 marine protected areas is to be established in UK waters. Natural England was also challenged to say whether it agreed
Finally, the NFFO said that efforts to resolve the quota problems facing parts of the under-10m fleet, in light of the results of the recent Defra consultation, were discussed. It was agreed that the Industry Working Group had made substantial progress but that there was more to be done to ease the quota pinch points through more effective quota management for the under-10s and that the various pilot projects should be supported in ways that were not divisive.
Also discussed were issues relating to safety and training, CFP reform and the future role of Seafish where it was agreed that the national training framework and industry reputation were two aspects of Seafish work that must be retained in whatever institutional and levy arrangements that emerge from the forthcoming review.
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