News

Fishing Body Urges Vessels To Fit Carbon Monoxide Detector

26 June 2014

The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations Strongly Supports Measures to Address Hidden Threat

The Dying Days of Effort Control

23 June 2014

Effort control (days at sea restrictions) as part of the EU Cod Management Plan, was dealt a fatal blow a couple of years ago by the Commission’s own Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries. Holed below the waterline it is taking its time to sink. Having studied the EU Cod Management Plan in considerable depth, STECF concluded that there was “no linear relationship between reductions in effort and reductions in fishing mortality”. In less arcane language, this meant that it was concluded that limiting vessel’s time at sea was a questionable way of conserving fish. This was a bombshell because effort control had been the centrepiece of the Commission’s approach to cod recovery since the late 1990s. At a stroke, the whole bureaucratic apparatus of controlling fleets time at sea was shown to have a very weak link to its central objective – reducing fishing pressure on cod.

NFFO Exec Meets to Decide Policy

23 June 2014

The Executive Committee of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations met recently in York to agree NFFO policy across a wide range of issues.

Why the NFFO will Fight Tooth and Claw to Block the Drift Net Ban Prospects are Looking Better

23 June 2014

The reasons why the NFFO will use everything at its disposal to resist the blanket ban on drift nets proposed by the Commission are not complex.

UK Takes Stance Against Blanket Drift Net Ban

13 June 2014

The UK has made clear that it will throw its weight behind opposition to the proposed EU ban on drift nets. Defra, following consultations with the devolved administrations, has made it clear in a consultative letter that it would be unacceptable to extinguish small scale drift net fisheries in the UK, many of which hold impeccable conservation credentials and which provide an important component in inshore fishermen's annual income. The UK approach is that where a specific problem of unacceptable bycatch is identified specific measures should be taken to address the issue.

Celtic Sea Mixed Fisheries: Cutting Edge Work on Management Plan

12 June 2014

A meeting in Dublin recently attended by the NFFO saw progress on a project at the cutting edge of fisheries/science collaboration. The Damara Project aims to provide fisheries stakeholders with a tool that will enable them to test various management options before they are adopted. This is particularly important in the complex and mixed fisheries like those in the Celtic Sea, where a management decision for one species, or fleet, can have consequences for another part of the fishery. The aim is to provide those in the fishery with a better understanding of the consequences of various potential management measures. Decisions made with the aid of this support tool will allow a better awarenesses of the advantages and disadvantages, and the necessary trade-offs to be made.

Peter Caunter , Skipper/owner of the under-10metre netter MFV Yvonne Anne, writes about the impact that the total ban on EU drift nets would have on

9 June 2014

Reference points: Dover (Kent) to Yarmouth ( Suffolk) For hundreds of years traditional drift netting has been carried out by small to medium sized boats targeting herring and sprat all along the south east coast with no known adverse effect on the environment. In this fishery, there is very little if any in the way of bycatch of non-target species of any kind be it fish, mammal or bird.

Over-turning the EU Drift Nets Ban could be a long haul

6 June 2014

The Commission’s hard-nosed response to concerns, expressed by the NFFO and others, about the proposed EU ban on drift nets, suggests that overturning the blanket ban could be a long haul.

Prominent Fisheries Scientist, Martin Pastoors, expresses his views on the EU Discard Ban

5 June 2014

The main challenge that I see at the moment is to keep the fishing industry onboard when the policy is looking for drastic changes but without very good explanations or means.

Fisheries Implications of “Defining Moment in the History of the EU”

29 May 2014

As the European institutions struggle to absorb the implications of last week’s elections to the European Parliament, it is clear that the seismic shift in popular opinion could carry important implications for fisheries.

Sunday Times Condemns Drift Net Ban

27 May 2014

Cut this crazy EU dragnet or our herring fishermen are lost

Drift Net Blanket Ban: “Crazy, Misguided and Possibly Malicious”

23 May 2014

Coalition of fishermen, scientists and conservationists preparing to resist Commission proposal

New Captain takes the helm at NFFO

20 May 2014

National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations Announces New Chairman

Founder of Modern Fisheries Science Congratulates NFFO Report “Optimistic, Factual, Cool”

19 May 2014

The NFFO is delighted to have received words of appreciation for its recently published Chairman's report, from legendary fisheries scientist, Sydney Holt. Along with, Ray Beverton, he wrote the seminal work on fisheries science On the Dynamics of Exploited Fish Populations in the late 1940s, which laid the foundations of modern fisheries science and is still much in use today. His contribution to the theory of fisheries science as well as his later role as advisor and negotiator for the United Nations FAO in Rome, are highly regarded in scientific and conservation worlds.

Hugh on the Back Foot

16 May 2014

It is perhaps not surprising that Hugh’s Fish Fight is now mounting a rather desperate attempt to shore up the credibility of its campaign to ban discards, after a powerful piece in the Times suggested that the public and politicians were misled into supporting an EU discard ban.

The Proof: Fishermen had already reduced discards by 90%

15 May 2014

The incoming ban on the practice of discarding fish is high on the media agenda at the moment, with The Times and Newsnight both carrying stories after concerns were raised about its implementation by the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO). The NFFO fears that if not handled properly, the ban could have serious negative effects for the industry including jeopardising the viability of fishing businesses and damaging the marine ecosystem.

Chairman’s Report 2014

14 May 2014

The NFFO’s AGM was held in London on 7th May. As his final duty as Chairman, before being elected as NFFO President, Paul Trebilcock presented his report to the meeting.

NFFO Training Trust Grants

9 May 2014

The NFFO Training Trust has announced that it will make £50,000 available for fishermen’s training, safety equipment and general education about the fishing industry in 2014.

E-Logs Debacle: Progress at meeting with MMO Senior Officials

2 May 2014

The NFFO considers that a breakthrough has been made in dealing with the mountain of issues associated with the replacement of paper logbooks by electronic logbooks.

Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society Announces National Limerick Competition Winners

25 April 2014

The winners of a national limerick competition to find the best poems in celebration of life at sea have been announced by one of the UK’s oldest maritime charities, the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society.

NFFO Focuses On Safety With New Recruit

23 April 2014

The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) has reinforced its commitment to individual safety and reducing accidents at sea with the appointment of Robert Greenwood as Safety and Training Officer.

Fishing’s Low Ecological Footprint

10 April 2014

Confirmation of fishing’s relatively low ecological footprint was provided recently in the publication of the European Environment Agency statistics on energy use by sector.

Norges Fiskarlag joins North Sea RAC

10 April 2014

The Norwegian Fishermen's Association, Norge Fiskarlag, joined the Demersal Working Group of North Sea Advisory Committee for its recent meeting in Paris. It is the second time that the Norwegians have joined the NSRAC in discussions, after an initial meeting in Trondheim last year.

E-log problems Raised at North East meeting

6 April 2014

The latest of several regional and port meetings organised by the MMO and NFFO to address problems with the implementation of electronic log books, has been held recently in York.