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Back to the Future

22 May 2025

A new deal with the EU drags UK fishing back into a past we thought had been left behind, as fishing communities’ prospects are traded away yet again.

Ocean with David Attenborough: A Challenge

9 May 2025

The new film narrated by Sir David Attenborough has some important things to say, but some equally important things should be added to it.

Demands and Threats from the EU over Access to UK Waters Deserve a Firm but Measured Response

28 March 2025

As we approach the time when Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and the EU with be reviewed, the rhetoric around the upcoming negotiations is becoming increasingly heated. We shouldn’t take it all too seriously.

New MPAs Will Compensate for Damage from Offshore Wind – and Fishing is in the Firing Line Again.

29 January 2025

A Ministerial Statement by Emma Hardy MP, Minister for Water and Flooding, has set out the Government’s plans to expand the UK’s MPA network, to make up for environmental damage caused by offshore wind farms.

Fail to plan: plan to fail

14 October 2024

NFFO Chief Executive Mike Cohen argues that we need a plan for our seas and a strategy for developing the fishing industry’s place in them.

The Crown Estate’s Marine Routemap: the Rush to Develop Offshore Power

17 September 2024

This week, the Crown Estate has laid out its vision and priorities for the future of Britain's seas and it is clear that wind farm development is paramount. The rush to industrialise the marine environment is picking up pace. Meaningful dialogue with genuine stakeholders is the only thing that can prevent harm to the fishing industry and coastal communities.

Secretary of State for the Environment, Steve Reed OBE MP

1 August 2024

At a swelteringly hot event in London last night, Secretary of State for the Environment Steve Reed gave a speech setting out his priorities for the department where he has recently taken the reins. He laid out his five key priorities (cleaning up rivers, lakes and the sea; working towards a zero waste economy; boosting food security through support for producers; speeding up nature recovery; accelerating flood defence construction) and set these within the context of the Prime Minister's core commitment to promoting economic growth. He was explicit in identifying support for fishers as an important part of that and emphasised partnership working and collaboration to deliver change.

NFFO representatives meet new Minister

12 July 2024

Newly appointed Defra Minister Daniel Zeichner came to Brixham this week and the NFFO was there to greet him.

The Frightening Outlook of Fisheries Displacement – Spatial Squeeze Report Published

30 June 2022

The loss of fishing grounds across UK waters points to a frightening outlook for the future of the industry, claims a new report.

Statement from the Fishermen’s Welfare Alliance

17 May 2022

The Fishermen's Welfare Alliance has released a statement on the recent reports from the ITF and the University of Nottingham

Electrifying the Fleet

13 May 2022

The NFFO announces the publication of a report into alternative propulsion.

Green Light for Vigilantes

7 February 2022

Marine Management Organisation wins legal case against Greenpeace and then bottles it.

NFFO writes to Minister on Bass Delay

21 January 2022

The NFFO has written to Fisheries Minister to express exasperation that flexibilities in bass bycatch arrangements will not be made available to UK fishermen until halfway through this year.

Joint Fisheries Statements: NFFO First Reactions

18 January 2022

The four UK fisheries administrations have published the first draft Joint Fisheries Statement for consultation. Together with the Fisheries Act (adopted in December 2020) the Joint Fisheries Statement lays the legislative and policy foundations for a distinctive UK approach to fisheries management outside the Common Fisheries Policy.

Fisheries Agreements for 2022

23 December 2021

Fisheries agreements have been reached for 2022 with the EU and Norway.

New NFFO-Fathom Podcast Collaboration Explores New Funding for Industry-Science Partnerships

17 December 2021

The NFFO has partnered with the Fathom podcast to produce a series of informative and highly topical episodes, focusing on the challenges and opportunities facing UK fishermen in the post-Brexit landscape. In this first episode, NFFO CEO Barrie Deas and Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation’s (CFPO) CEO Chris Ranford interview a Defra policy official about a big new funding opportunity for the industry.

Decarbonisation: Climate Emergency

7 October 2021

The UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow this coming October and November, will bring world attention to the link between greenhouse gasses and climate change. The UK Government will want to earn the prestige associated with hosting a successful summit. A successful summit will include commitments to new ambitious targets for the reduction of greenhouse gasses - in particular carbon dioxide.

NFFO Demands Transparency over TCA Deal

30 September 2021

The UK fishing industry was shocked at the scale of the UK’s capitulation on fishing on Christmas Eve, 2020. This was a decision made at the highest reaches of Government. And it was made, despite the promises, commitments and assurances made during the Referendum Campaign and throughout the negotiations with the EU. Additional quota shares secured from the EU came nowhere close to what any self-respecting coastal state might expect as their legal right. Access to fish in UK waters – a key bargaining lever in annual fisheries negotiations – was ceded to the EU for 6 years (at least). We even failed to secure an exclusive 12 mile limit, something that most coastal states take for granted.

Annual Fisheries Negotiations: Preparations for 2022 under way

21 September 2021

Only a few short months after the annual fisheries agreement for 2021 between the UK and EU was concluded, preparations are under way for talks about total allowable catches and associated rules which will apply in 2022.

Climate Smart Fisheries: Protected Areas or Sustainable Livelihoods?

9 September 2021

Adapting to climate change and reducing dependence on fossil fuels is something that the fishing industry, along with every other part of the economy is going to have to address. Some NGOs are making the argument that the solution lies with more marine protected areas. However, going all-out on MPAs as a “cure-all” for our seas risks perverse outcomes and real harm to coastal fishing communities. Dale Rodmell argues the case for a more cooperative approach that illuminates pathways to sustainable marine livelihoods that can deliver much more, and in the long run, be more adaptive to climate change.

The Trust Issue

12 August 2021

The NFFO takes stock 8 months after the Trade and Cooperation Agreement

HPMA Selection Process Rigged to Harm Fishing Communities

19 July 2021

The government’s process to select Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) needs a rethink. It is deliberately relegating human use issues to a second tier to be considered only once sites have been identified exclusively based on a set of ecological criteria. Instead, it should prioritise the search for sites that fulfil ecological criteria in areas where there are synergies with existing human uses of the marine environment.

Can Fisheries Co-exist with Offshore Wind in the Race to Carbon Net Zero?

2 June 2021

The Government’s Net Zero ambition signals a massive expansion in the scale and extent of offshore wind farms, but it also supercharges concerns over the spatial squeeze now being experienced by fishers who face losing access to their fishing grounds. NFFO Assistant Chief Executive, Dale Rodmell, who recently presented the issues to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries(1), makes the case for the need for a planning system that can deliver on co-existence.

Prepare for Displacement

18 May 2021

Lords appointment triggers NFFO change to MPA Policy. 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.