30 September 2013
The NFFO Executive Committee met recently to plan the Federation’s work programme for the autumn
Chairman Elect
Tony Delahunty, Chairman of
the NFFO’s South East Committee, was unanimously elected as the Federation’s
next Chairman. He will take over from Paul Trebilcock after our 2014 AGM.
TACs and Quotas
As is usual at this time of
year, the TACs and quotas for next year are uppermost in the industry’s mind
and time was devoted to preparing for forthcoming meetings with Defra at which
the UK’s priorities for the December Council.
Discards Ban
The Federation recognises
that the phasing-in of the EU landings obligation marks one of the biggest
changes to the management regime in the history of the CFP, starting with the
pelagic fisheries in January 2015. An immense amount of work on how the new
regime is to be practically implemented is required and the Executive received
a report on the proceedings of a week-long meeting of the Commission’s Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee
for Fisheries which has been charged with developing guidelines in areas
such as exemptions and quota flexibilities.
Regionalisation
Similarly, the Executive is
keeping a close eye on the evolution of a strong regional-seas dimension to
policyformulation, the other central pillar of the CFP reform. The Federation
is working within the advisory committees to ensure that their is steady
progress towards a more responsive and effective decision making in European
fisheries and that micro-management through centralised control and is
consigned to history.
Under-10m Quotas
The Executive heard that the
Federation’s steady work to ease the pressures where there are quota
pinch-points in specific under-10m fisheries was proceeding well. Encouraging
producer organisations to play a supportive role for under-10m groups whose
catching patterns are more akin to over-10m vessels and which account for 70%
of the uptake of under-10m pool allocations would hopefully address the most
acute problems in the sector. FPO support for the Ramsgate Pilot was working
well and provided a model for other POs and under-10m groups.
Marine Protected Areas
It was recognised by the
Executive that a huge amount of effort had been and continued to be deployed by
the Federation in ensuring that European Marine Sites and domestic Marine
Conservation Zones are introduced in a fully rational and proportionate way. It
was agreed that the MPA Fishing Coalition
of which the NFFO is an active member, had very successfully held the
authorities to account given the amount of misplaced advocacy and wooly
thinking that had surrounded the issue.
Industry Reputation
The Executive reviewed the
Federation’s efforts to counter the unfair and unjustified negative image of
the fishing industry that had been dominant in the media in recent years.
Working with with communications specialist Acceleris,
it had been possible, not only to counter factually distorted reporting but to
encourage –through initiatives such as Tweets
from the Deep – more positive messages about the centrality of fishing and
fishermen as suppliers of healthy food. It was agreed to continue our campaign
focusing mainly on:
- The positive stock trends and reduced fishing mortality in most of our fisheries
- The significance of fisheries science partnerships
- The role of fishing in contributing to food security
Other Issues
Other issues, discussed by
the Executive included:
- The forthcoming review if the UK fishing vessels licensing regime
- Safety and Training issues
- The forthcoming FQA register
- Cod Management Plan and Effort Control
- Finalising NFFO policy on shellfish
- Western Waters Effort
- The triennial review of the Marine Management Organisation
- Proposed reduction of the Seafish levy by 10%
- Triennial review of the Marine Management Organisation
- The proposed reduction of the Seafish levy by 10%