Saving Seafood

Britain and EU sign fishing deal – but it ‘won’t please everyone’

June 3, 2021 — Britain and the European Union on Wednesday agreed the first ever annual deal on the management of shared fish stocks after Brexit.

In anticipation of a potential backlash from British fishermen, Whitehall sources on Wednesday night cautioned that agreement would not “please everyone”.

Brussels said the new fishing agreement proved that the UK and EU could work together after months of tensions since the UK left the Brexit transition period on December 31.

The European Commission said the new deal created a “strong basis for continued EU-UK cooperation in the area of fisheries” after months of negotiations, which began in January.

The agreement sets out the total allowed catch (TAC) for more than 75 shared stocks in UK and EU waters for the rest of the year.

The TAC, which aims to prevent overfishing, is then divided between the two sides on the basis of quotas agreed in the Brexit deal on fishing on Christmas Eve. Both sides had agreed to use the 2020 TAC until a deal could be found.

Read the full story at MSN

U.K. Says EU Fishing Deal May Not Be Finalized Until December

July 9, 2020 — A fisheries agreement between the U.K. and European Union may not be finalized until December, five months later than scheduled, Environment Secretary George Eustice said.

The subject has become a sticking point in negotiations over the future relationship between the two sides. Britain wants to restrict EU vessels’ right to fish in British waters, making it conditional on annual negotiations, while the EU has made continued access a precondition of any wider trade deal. They had originally aimed to agree on terms by the start of July.

Read the full story at Bloomberg

English fishing, aquaculture businesses receive GBP 10 million coronavirus support

April 20, 2020 — More than 1,000 fishing and aquaculture businesses in England are being offered the opportunity to receive direct cash grants through a new multi-million-pound fisheries support scheme launched by the U.K. government.

Announced by Environment Secretary George Eustice and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay, the fund is the latest step to protect businesses affected by COVID-19, with up to GBP 9 million (USD 11.2 million, EUR 10.3 million) made available for eligible fishing and aquaculture businesses.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

UK government announces £10m coronavirus fund for English fishing sector

April 17, 2020 — The UK government on Friday announced a £10m ($12.4m) fund to shield England’s fishing and aquaculture sectors from the impacts of coronavirus.

More than 1,000 fishing and aquaculture businesses in England will receive £9m in direct cash grants through a new fisheries support scheme, the government said, noting that the supports were designed to assist the sector with its “immediate needs” during the crisis.

The government also said that a further £1m would be made available to support projects to assist fishermen to sell their catch in their local communities during the pandemic.

The move, it said, would enable them to find new markets and support communities that depend on the fisheries industry.

Read the full story at Yahoo News

UK supermarkets given permission to join forces, merge supply chains

March 23, 2020 — U.K. supermarket chains can for the first time work together and will be allowed to share distribution networks, stock level data, staff, and other important resources after the government temporarily relaxed elements of competition law to enable food to reach stores during the coronavirus crisis.

Drivers’ hours have also been relaxed to enable retailers to get more food to outlets, while plastic bag charges for online purchases have been stopped to speed up deliveries.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Sustainability prioritized as UK government rolls out post-Brexit fisheries bill

January 29, 2020 — With the United Kingdom due to withdraw from the European Union on Friday, 31 January, new legislation has been introduced into U.K. parliament that creates the powers for the country to operate as an independent coastal state and to manage its fish stocks independently.

Beyond delivering a legal guarantee that the United Kingdom will leave the E.U.’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) at the end of the transition period in December 2020, and also ending the automatic rights for E.U. vessels to fish in British waters, the new fisheries bill contains provisions that take into account climate change’s impact on fisheries, as well as the new objective to move towards “climate-smart fishing” in U.K. waters.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Scallop row: UK and French fishermen strike a deal

September 18, 2018 — The agreement, starting on Tuesday, will see larger British boats withdrawing in return for greater fishing rights elsewhere.

In August, boats collided and fishermen threw stones at each other as the French accused UK boats of depleting scallop stocks.

British fishermen said they were legally entitled to fish there.

Under the terms of the new deal, UK scallop dredgers over 15m long will leave the scallop beds off the coast of Normandy from midnight for six weeks.

In return, France will transfer fishing rights for scallops in areas such as the Irish Sea.

Smaller British boats are not restricted under the deal and can continue to fish in the Bay of Seine, where the row broke out.

Fisheries minister George Eustice said: “I commend the UK fishing industry for its patience throughout negotiations and welcome this pragmatic outcome.

Read the full story at BBC News

UK-France scallop skirmish settled, subject to compensation for UK boats

September 10, 2018 — The UK and French governments have reached an agreement over scallop fishing in the eastern English Channel, with French conservation measures designed to protect the shellfish extending to UK vessels.

In a joint statement from both governments, supported by UK fisheries minister George Eustice, it was announced the previous conservation agreement involving the UK 15-meter-and-over fleet would be renewed.

In addition, there is agreement in principle for UK under-15m vessels to be included in the deal. This is subject to a “reasonable compensation package”, the details of which are set to be defined in Paris on Sept. 7.

In the meantime, there is a voluntary agreement for all UK vessels to respect the French closure period in the Baie de Seine, the statement said.

The long-running dispute in the channel particularly concerns the scallop-rich Baie, in which French fishers are prevented from harvesting due to domestic environmental laws.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Cod, pollock now included in EU discard ban

January 4, 2017 — The latest stage of the landing obligation, or “discard ban,” took effect on New Year’s Day, confirmed U.K. Fisheries Minister George Eustice, with the country’s fishermen now required to land cod and pollock.

U.K. government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said the discard ban has gradually introduced to allow time to adapt and that two species – North Sea cod and northwestern waters pollock – had joined the list of fish that must be landed. Existing bans for species such as sole, plaice and haddock have also been extended to include more vessels.

“Fishing sustainably is one of our biggest priorities, both now and for the future, and the discard ban is an incredibly important step to help us reach maximum sustainable yield by 2020,” said Eustice. “While there will always be challenges in adapting to new polices, ending the wasteful practice of throwing dead fish back overboard will not only help maintain stock levels, but will help create a profitable fishing industry for years to come.”

The latest phase of the landing obligation follows the implementation of the ban to pelagic species such as mackerel and blue whiting in 2015, and the extension to demersal species haddock, sole and plaice at the start of 2016.

Read the full story at Seafood Source