News - Page 16 of 40

Death Throes of the Drift Net Ban

16 November 2015

A rather bureaucratic exchange of letters between Commissioner Vella and the Chairman of the European Parliament Fisheries Committee signals the demise of the ill-founded proposal to ban small-scale drift nets. The proposal has been hanging around for the best part of two years waiting for someone to finish it off.

NFFO East Anglia Committee Elects Chairman

16 November 2015

The recently formed NFFO East Anglia Committee elected Steve Wightman, Lowestoft long-lining skipper, as its Chairman at its latest meeting in Norwich on 12th November. Steve is supported by three Vice Chairman covering the coast, including Dave Chambers, Neil Lake and Billy Gaff, with the intention of rotating the Chairmanship on an annual basis.

EU fishing sector sends open letter to Pew on damage of misleading information

12 November 2015

In March of this year Pew Charitable Trusts published a report Turning the Tide: Ending Overfishing in North Western Europe. That report contained a number of statements which are demonstrably untrue and contrary to scientific opinion.

Scientific advice and ministers’ responsibility to manage fisheries

19 October 2015

Jockeying for position in the run up to decisions on quotas for 2016 has already begun. The Council of Ministers is sometimes criticised for departing from the scientific recommendations on quotas. It is worth examining this claim because it’s frequently used to imply that ministers, under pressure from a powerful fishing lobby, duck their environmental responsibilities and are therefore directly responsible for stock depletion.

Improving the evidence for fisheries management decisions in Marine Protected Areas

16 September 2015

The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) has contracted leading marine environmental consultancy, ABPmer and Ichthys Marine Ecological Consulting, to contribute to the evidence base for fisheries management decisions in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Guernsey

17 August 2015

There is no sign that Guernsey authorities are minded to accept that they have a responsibility to constrain the catches of Guernsey vessels, notwithstanding the fisheries agreement (see below) they have signed, or the impact that their selfishness has on other UK fishermen.

“Watershed Meeting” with the MMO

13 August 2015

An NFFO team met recently with the Chief Executive of the Marine Management Organisation to discuss the future of fisheries management and the future role of the MMO.

Wide Ranging Discussions with UK Fisheries Minister

24 July 2015

Fisheries Minister, George Eustice, met recently in London with the NFFO’s Executive Committee to discuss the industry’s principal areas of current concern.

Fishermen’s ‘sacrifice’ to thank for fish stock recovery

16 July 2015

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Praises Fishermen’s Role in Saving Seafood Staples

New Helm for NFFO South West Committee

1 July 2015

Brixham fisherman, Steve Parker, has been elected as the Chairman of the NFFO’s South West Committee at the Committee’s latest meeting in Plymouth on 30th June.

Enforcement of the Landings Obligation

29 June 2015

The NFFO recently participated in a major seminar in Roskilde, Denmark, organised by the European Fisheries Control Agency, on how the EU landings obligation, which will be phased into effect for demersal species from 1st January 2016, will be monitored and controlled. The NFFO’s contribution to the conference, both directly and through the advisory councils, was based on the following paper:

Non-native crabs and lobsters found off the Sussex coast

19 June 2015

The MMO has reported that a small number of fishermen on the Sussex coast are reporting catches of non-native lobsters (Canadian Homarus americanus) and crabs (Dungeness Cancer magister) in an area in the vicinity of Brighton on the Sussex coast.

Chairman’s Report 2015 by Tony Delahunty Chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations

19 June 2015

The Chairman’s Report is intended to provide an overview of the Federation’s activities over the previous 12 months.

Bass conservation measures NFFO Position Paper June 2015

4 June 2015

The NFFO has prepared the following position paper on a sea bass conservation strategy. A variation on the paper has been sent to the North Sea and North West Waters advisory councils for consideration.

Revised AGM Arrangements

3 June 2015

We have been advised by the Minister's private office that DEFRA Oral questions have been set for the morning of 18th June.

NFFO Response: Defra Consultation on the Implementation of the EU landings Obligation

28 May 2015

The EU landings obligation, enshrined in the CFP reform of June 2013, was the result of a toxic mix of political opportunism, misinformation, and cynical manipulation of legitimate public concern.

NFFO Offers Fishermen EU Funding to Improve Vessel Safety

27 May 2015

The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) is offering fishermen financial support in a bid to cut accidents at sea.

Drift Net Ban hanging on by its fingernails

7 May 2015

The ill-conceived European Commission proposal for a ban on small-scale drift nets is badly wounded but lingering on in intensive care.

NFFO AGM: Focal Point for Industry Concerns

6 May 2015

The NFFO’s annual general meeting will be held this year in York on Thursday 18th June. All NFFO members are welcome.

Community Quota: A Workable Solution for the West Coast?

5 May 2015

NFFO West Coast Committee Chairman, Ron Graham, has reaffirmed that what is needed for under 10 fleet policy is a concerted effort to examine what can work at a regional level.

Guernsey Fiasco Requires Tough Line

1 May 2015

The continuing fiasco through which vessels registered in Guernsey, with the collusion of the Guernsey authorities, ignore non-sector catch limits set by the MMO but have their catches count against UK quotas, has still not been resolved.

Post-Election Horse Trading Concerns voiced by NFFO

1 May 2015

The SNP has made no secret of its ambition to take the lead in representing the UK in the Council of Ministers on fisheries matters, despite the major constitutional issues such a move would raise. The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations has expressed its deep concern about the potential for fishing to be sacrificed in the post-election horse-trading to form a UK government.

Multi-annual Plan for the Baltic

27 April 2015

Normally the NFFO would not be overly concerned with management measures for the Baltic. Our vessels have no fishing opportunities in the Baltic and as it is a relatively sealed sea, there are no trans- boundary issues for us. However, the general approach to a multi-annual fisheries plan recently adopted by the Council of Ministers in Luxembourg, potentially carries significant implications for our demersal fisheries in the North Sea and Western Waters. After a long delay caused by an inter-institutional dispute between the Council of ministers and the European Parliament, a new generation of management plans are emerging at European level and the Baltic is the first of these dealing with mixed fisheries. So, although nothing is absolutely set in stone for the North Sea or Western Waters by what is agreed for the Baltic, it is reasonable to assume that the management plan set for the Baltic does provide something of a template for the fisheries that follow.

New NFFO Committee for East Anglia: Out of the Blocks Running

13 April 2015

A new regional committee, established to reflect the views of fishermen in East Anglia, came out of the blocks running at its inaugural meeting, held recently in Norwich. Statements of intent were agreed on shellfish management, marine protected areas, working with the local IFCA, and dealing with offshore wind farms.