News

Fast Learning Curve for new Fisheries Minister

9 October 2008

How Irranca-Davies MP has replaced Jonathan Shaw as UK fisheries minister following a ministerial reshuffle at Defra.

North Sea RAC Takes Strong Stand on Discards

3 October 2008

The North Sea Regional Advisory Council, of which the NFFO is a prominent member, adopted a strong position on the discarding of marketable cod at its most recent meeting in York.

NFFO in Key Meeting on Marine Conservation Zones

3 October 2008

“We are determined that this will not be some kind of marine Highland Clearance”

NFFO South East Committee Response to the Defra Consultation Paper “The English Inshore Fleet – Looking to the Future”

15 September 2008

The NFFO South East Committee represents fishermen from the ports of Folkestone, Rye, Hastings, Normans Bay, Eastbourne, Newhaven and Selsey, many of whom operate vessels under 10 metres in length.

President’s Opening Remarks at the NFFO AGM held in York on 23rd July 2008

14 August 2008

We meet in the most difficult of times. The rapid increase in fuel prices to unprecedented levels, combined with our reliance on the auction system (which prevents us from simply passing on higher costs) has put the fishing industry in a uniquely vulnerable position.

Scottish Executive Consultation on a Separate Quota System in Scotland: Response by the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations

13 August 2008

This paper responds to the Scottish Executive’s consultation paper Safeguarding our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland. The response is in four parts. The first outlines the key aspects of the proposals as we understand them. The second describes the NFFO’s status as a stakeholder in Scottish fisheries, the third deals with the principal issues raised by the consultation and the detail of the proposal and the fourth offers some conclusions.

Chairman’s Report – 2008

13 August 2008

National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations

NFFO Fights on Access Issues

13 August 2008

The Federation is heavily engaged in discussions with various bodies over offshore developments that could have direct consequences for the fleet, including loss of access to fishing grounds.

Light Dues Go

4 August 2008

One by-product of the fuel price crisis is the end to the wholly discriminatory light dues charge on fishing vessels.

Marine Conservation Zones – Process “Deeply Unsatisfactory”

4 August 2008

At the NFFO’s AGM, Fisheries Minister Jonathan Shaw was told that the Government’s plans for a network of conservation zones, some of which could prohibit fishing were forging ahead without consultation with the fishing industry. The restricted areas are timetabled to begin from 2012 but there has been next to no discussion with the people who would be most profoundly affected.

New NFFO Chairman

1 August 2008

Skipper Davey Hill from Kilkeel in Northern Ireland, has taken over the Chair of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations.