Saving Seafood

Fisheries Survival Fund Releases New Video on British Fishermen’s History with Wind Farms

February 22, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Fisheries Survival Fund, representing the offshore scallop industry, sent two people to the UK last year to make a short film on the interactions between wind farm development and the fishing industry.

They found that initially, the UK government granted leases without even informing fishermen, who found out only when their grounds were already slated for development.   Subsequently, new process have brought in the industry very early on in the license process, but many feel they are ‘listened to, but not heard’.

One of the biggest issues on one of the wind farms highlighted in the film are the sediment plumes which have changed the ecology of the local area, and driven away fish.

The Fisheries Survival Fund is particularly concerned about placement of leases in major scallop grounds, making the suggestion in the film that changes in sediment, water turbidity, and tide flows could negatively impact scallops.

The video highlights the need for fishing knowledge and input early in the process of siting and developing offshore wind farms. English fishermen explain how they were not given the opportunity to provide input into the siting of the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, which lies seven miles off the coast of Kent, England, right in the middle of important fishing grounds.

Several leases have already been awarded for wind farms off the East Coast of the U.S., including one in an area that is prime grounds for sea scallops. Additional lease areas are also currently under consideration.

Watch the video here

This story was originally published by SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

New video shows impacts of offshore wind on U.K. fishermen, provides lessons for U.S. industry

February 21, 2019 — The following was released by the Fisheries Survival Fund:

A new video, Winds of Change, released today by the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), documents how the arrival of offshore wind blindsided U.K. fishermen, and how the wind farms have permanently changed their traditional fishing grounds and how they make their livelihoods.

Last year, two members of FSF traveled to the United Kingdom to learn how fishermen in Ramsgate, England and Aberdeen, Scotland have been impacted by offshore wind development. Those lessons are documented in Winds of Change.

“As offshore wind moves forward here in the U.S., it’s essential that it’s able to co-exist with the fishing communities that have depended on these waters for generations,” said Andrew Minkiewicz, an attorney for FSF. “We must learn from the experiences of European fishermen if we want to avoid the same pitfalls and make the best decisions for American fishermen and offshore wind developers.”

Winds of Change explains the impacts offshore wind can have on marine ecosystems, including altering the flow and direction of the tide, churning up sediment, and changing fish behavior or causing them to leave the area altogether. It also shows how wind farms can affect fishing operations, leaving vessels with little room to maneuver through wind turbines and interfering with navigation systems.

The video highlights the need for fishing knowledge and input early in the process of siting and developing offshore wind farms. English fishermen explain how they were not given the opportunity to provide input into the siting of the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, which lies seven miles off the coast of Kent, England, right in the middle of important fishing grounds.

“One of the developers turned up one day with these agents…and said ‘we’re going to build a wind farm here,’” says John Nichols, Chairman of the Thanet Fishermen’s Association, in the video. “And they said ‘but we’re not worried about the fishermen because it’s divide and conquer, fishermen can’t stick together.’”

Several leases have already been awarded for wind farms off the East Coast of the U.S., including one in an area that is prime grounds for sea scallops. Additional lease areas are also currently under consideration.

Illegal trade in shark products dismissed by UK fish and chip industry

February 7, 2019 — University of Exeter researchers, studying the DNA of shark products sold in fishmongers, fish and chip shops, and Asian wholesalers in England, believe they have uncovered serious cases of mislabeling and a potential trade in critically endangered species.

However, their findings have been largely dismissed by the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), which said in a statement that the fish sold in fish and chip outlets is all legally sourced.

The scientists found that 90 percent of products sold at fish and chip shops under umbrella terms such as huss, rock salmon, and rock eel, were actually spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias). Landings of this fish into the European Union by E.U. and third-country vessels have been prohibited from the Northeast Atlantic since 2011 because it is classified as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species.

Other species identified include blue sharks, Pacific spiny dogfish, nursehounds, and starry smoothounds, most of which are not in threatened categories, but they only made up a small minority of the samples.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Marine Stewardship Council aims to “improve confidence that the MSC Fisheries Standard is being applied consistently”

February 5, 2019 — The Marine Stewardship Council, one of the largest seafood-focused eco-labeling schemes in the world, is reviewing its standards and processes with the dual aims of increasing its effectiveness and addressing perceptions of inadequacies in how its system works.

The London, United Kingdom-based organization currently certifies more than 300 fisheries with a combined annual seafood production of 12 million metric tons, representing 15 percent of global marine catch. Its formal Fisheries Standard Review takes place every five years; the most recent review began in 2018 and will run through 2021. The MSC reviews its standards to “improve confidence that the MSC Fisheries Standard is being applied consistently,” according to the organization.

Last week, the MSC Board of Directors released a list of 16 topics it will include it’s the second stage of the review. Those topics include MSC’s requirements for ghost gear, low trophic species, shark-finning, endangered threatened and protected species, and the accessibility of the MSC program to small-scale, squid, crab, and octopus fisheries.

“The next stage in the MSC Fisheries Standard Review will be an in-depth analysis of all topics agreed for review,” MSC CEO Rupert Howes said. “Over the next year, the MSC will work alongside stakeholders to harness their expertise and experience to identify potential updates to the standard.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

No-deal Brexit could destroy Britain’s fishing industry, warns seafood boss

January 31, 2019 — Britain’s fishing industry could be destroyed by a no-deal Brexit, a leading figure has warned.

The UK fishing industry has long been one of the biggest backers for Britain to leave Brussels but Graeme Sutherland, the director of Whitelink Seafoods, said fishing would not survive if Britain crashes out of the European Union.

‘As a company, we export into Europe at a rate of 85-90% of what we produce here,’ he told LBC.

‘We are working on a next-day delivery into France for distribution into Europe. So if we are delayed in any way in clearing customs, in effect, we are going to lose 24 hours on delivery.

‘We need frictionless borders. It has to be that for our industry to survive.’

Read the full story at Yahoo News

Access to UK fishing waters post-Brexit is not up for renegotiation -UK PM May

January 31, 2019 — Access to Britain’s fishing waters is not up for renegotiation in any talks with the European Union over possible changes lawmakers have demanded to the country’s exit deal, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.

May has said she wants to reopen negotiations on Britain’s Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, something she had previously warned might see other countries also make new demands including over access to British fishing waters after Brexit.

Read the full story from Reuters at Yahoo

Brexit “no deal” contingency proposals adopted to support fisheries

January 22, 2019 — The mounting uncertainty over whether the United Kingdom will ratify a withdrawal agreement from the European Union has led the European Commission (EC) to adopt two legislative proposals aimed at helping mitigate the impact a so-called “no deal” Brexit could have on E.U. fisheries.

The first proposal is to allow fishermen and operators from E.U. member-states to receive compensation under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for the temporary cessation of fishing activities. The E.C. said this will help offset some of the impact of a sudden closure of U.K. waters to E.U. fishing vessels in a no-deal scenario.

Its second proposal amends the Regulation on the Sustainable Management of the External Fleets. The aim is to ensure that the E.U. is in a position to grant U.K. vessels access to E.U. waters until the end of 2019, on the condition that E.U. vessels are also granted reciprocal access to U.K. waters.

This second proposal also provides for a simplified procedure to authorize U.K. vessels to fish in E.U. waters and E.U. vessels to fish in U.K. waters, should the United Kingdom grant that access. This proposal is limited to 2019 and is based on the agreement in the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of 17 and 18 December, 2018, on the fishing opportunities for 2019.

The commission said these contingency measures cannot mitigate the overall impact of a no-deal scenario, nor do they in any way replicate the full benefits of E.U. membership or the terms of any transition period, as provided for in the withdrawal agreement.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Aquaculture sector thriving in the European Union

January 15, 2019 — The performance of the aquaculture sector in the European Union is improving across the board, with all sectors displaying strong economic growth, according to the latest report from the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF).

The 2018 Economic Report of the EU Aquaculture Sector is a comprehensive overview of the latest production figures, value, structure, and competitive performance of the sector at both country and E.U. level between 2008 and 2016.

Analysis shows that sales volumes amounted to 1.4 million metric tons (MT), valued at EUR 4.9 billion (USD 5.6 billion) in 2016, which was an increase of six percent in volume and eight percent in value compared to 2014. Profits doubled during this time, reaching EUR 800 million (USD 917.2 million) total in earnings before interest and tax.

Of the 28 countries making up the E.U., the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Italy, and Spain accounted for around 75 percent of aquaculture production.

Speaking at the 50th anniversary of the European Fisheries Partnership in Brussels, prior to the report being released, E.U. Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella stressed the need for sustainable fish farming to flourish and confirmed the European Union’s commitment to large-scale expansion of aquaculture by member-states.

“It is an industry that creates economic growth, employment and economic stability, especially in rural areas and along coastal areas,” Vella said.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Fears Grow of New ‘Cod Wars’ Under No-Deal Brexit

January 14, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Fishermen worry that without terms of exit, European boats will test UK’s resolve to take back its territorial waters.

Newlyn, Cornwall – James Hellewell, a picture-book image of a bearded fisherman, contemplates what could happen in the high seas off the English peninsula Cornwall on the first day after a “hard Brexit”.

“Someone’s going to die,” Hellewell warns. “If a trawler has got its beams out and a Frenchman goes and hits it under the beam, he can turn that boat turtle.”

Hellewell, like many others in the fishing community of Newlyn in southwest Cornwall, fears European boats will test Britain’s resolve to take back control of its territorial waters if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without an exit agreement on March 29.

The waters are currently shared by European fishermen under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, but once outside the EU, Britain will regain full control of fishing stocks unless its government reaches a deal with Brussels over the terms of its withdrawal.

Although many fishermen in Cornwall support Brexit, they want conditions put in place that will protect their livelihood and interests.

This story was originally published by SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission. 

UK fishing industry faces ‘grave’ threat from new EU policy

January 2, 2019 — The United Kingdom’s fishing industry faces a “grave” threat from a new European Union policy due to be introduced on Tuesday, a House of Lords committee warned after hearing evidence on how fishing quotas will be enforced.

The new rules alter how discarded fish affect the quotas for each species. In the past, fish that were discarded would not count towards the total haul by crews. The new regulations mean that fishers must bring back their total haul, in a measure designed to reduce waste caused by dumping dead but unwanted fish.

Barrie Deas, the chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, described the rules, which will be phased in over a four year period, as “badly designed.”

According to evidence presented to the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment sub-committee, crews could reach their quotas for each year much earlier than before. That would mean they would have to stop their fishing until quotas were renewed.

Read the full story at Yahoo