Tag Archives: National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations
Planned Tenfold North Sea Windfarm Expansion by 2050
The fishing industry is alarmed by drastic plans to massively increase windfarm capacity in the North Sea. Fishing industry leaders already fighting to retain fishing grounds for their members are deeply alarmed by the plans to increase of offshore wind power by ten times current levels by 2050, to develop ‘energy islands’ of interconnected sites and carbon capture projects. Mike Cohen, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), said the development would be on the agenda for discussion at the next meeting of the international fishermen’s movement, the Northern Fishing Alliance (NFA), which represents fishermen from six countries fishing in the North Sea. >click to read< 12:38
EU running riot in British waters as UK fishermen ‘betrayed’ over broken Brexit promises
UK fishermen have lashed out at the Government and accused it of “betrayal” over broken Brexit promises, with European vessels still allowed to run riot in British waters. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party Government had promised fishermen they would be fully protected in the event of any trade deal with the European Union. This was signed at the eleventh hour on December 30, 2020, with fishing rights, which had been a major bone of contention in often bitter negotiations between the two sides, one of the last issues to be resolved. >click to read<
Poll shows overwhelming numbers of the public support local fishing
Overwhelming numbers of the public believe the government should not be allowed to squeeze fishing communities out of our seas, a fishing body has said. In polling carried out for the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) by JL Partners, 78 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement: “governments should ensure that fishing communities are not squeezed out of our increasingly crowded seas”, with only four per cent disagreeing. The survey follows a report for the SFF and National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), published this year, which showed that more than half of Scottish waters could be closed to trawling by 2050. >click to read< 10:14
Fishing fuel prices leading to labour concerns and supply issues
Fuel prices for fishing vessels have risen beyond what was predicted as the worst-case scenario in April, leading to some vessels being tied up and crews walking away, seafood sector insiders have warned. Seafish, the industry body for seafood, said that fuel prices which it had expected to peak at the level of 90p per litre (all tax excluded) for the sector were now close to £1 on average at ports. High fish prices on the first sale market were helping some fishers to mitigate the impacts of fuel price increases, but some crews were more vulnerable than others to changes, said the public body. These concerns were echoed by the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations’ chairman, Paul Gilson, who said in a statement that “the price has, for several weeks, been hovering around the point where it becomes no longer viable to go to sea because earnings no longer cover costs of which fuel is the most significant component”. >click to read< 13:49
Training for new recruits needs to be extended says Seafish.
Simon Potten, Head of Safety and Training, discusses how local engagement and more training could be the key to making the fishing industry safer. During Maritime Safety Week (4-8 July) which was a great platform for raising national awareness of safety in the commercial fishing industry. We have been supporting Maritime Safety Week since it was started by the Department for Transport in 2018. In those five years there have been 23 deaths on commercial fishing vessels in the UK. Unfortunately, most of them came in 2021 when we tragically lost 10 fishermen. The worst year in over a decade for lives lost. Which is why I think Maritime Safety Week is more important this year than ever before. So, what can we do to make the fishing industry safer? >click to continue< 12:13
Your favourite takeaway could set you back following green-energy expansion
Fish and chip fans fear the future of their favourite takeaway, as widening offshore wind farms will soon be constructed in precious fishing territory. Fishermen across the country have criticised the Prime Minister’s plans to increase the number of wind turbines in the sea, meaning over half of their legal fishing territory could be lost by 2050. A damning report outlined in the Spatial Squeeze in Fisheries report indicated how 56 percent of Scottish waters could become prohibited for fishing boats. The Prime Minister’s plans would see fish go uncaught, leaving restaurants no choice but to rely on importing. One chip shop in Kent recently shut down as its owner refused to charge £14 per person for a portion of Britain’s most famous dish. >click to read< 15:27
Fishing industry at risk of being ‘put to the sword’ by offshore renewables and MPA’s
The fishing fleet is facing a “truly frightening” future with the prospect of more than half of Scottish waters being off-limits by 2050, a new study has warned. The industry is at risk of being “put to the sword” because of offshore renewable energy developments and the expansion of enhanced marine protected areas, according to the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) and National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO). Their report, Spatial Squeeze in Fisheries, produced by the ABPmer consultancy, is described as the first attempt to assess the cumulative impact on commercial fishing of “hugely increased competition for space in the marine environment”. >click to read< 07:55
Fuel Crisis: Fuel costs ‘jeopardising’ UK fishing fleet
Soaring fuel costs have now risen to a “level that jeopardises the viability of parts of the fleet” and could affect supply from UK fishing boats over the coming months, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations has warned.The viability of the fleet was currently being supported by high fish prices, the industry body said this week. However, the sector was still in an “inherently unstable and fragile balance”, which could soon result in vessels being taken out of the water. The four fishing federations representing England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that make up the NFFO recently met with fisheries minister Victoria Prentis to warn about the fuel “crisis engulfing the fishing industry”, it said. > click to read < 08:46
British Fishermen Feared Pro-Brexit Campaigners Would Betray Them—and They Did
Few communities in the United Kingdom were as supportive of Brexit as fishermen. Politicians pushing for the country to leave the European Union capitalized on the widespread perception that EU regulators favored fishermen from the continent over those from the United Kingdom when allocating fishing quotas. They promised that post-Brexit, UK fishermen would have unfettered access to domestic waters. Perhaps unsurprisingly, an estimated 92 percent of the UK fishing community intended to vote for Brexit in 2016. >click to read< 09:32
Brexit: The betrayal of the fishing industry has been incredible and shameful
The British fishing industry is not likely to forgive its betrayal on Christmas Eve 2020. That was when the UK government struck a deal with the European Union that respected none of what the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations called “the promises, commitments and assurances made during the Brexit referendum campaign and throughout the negotiations with the EU”. And these were not any old promises and commitments. They were made publicly and at all levels in government, including by the Prime Minister himself. >click to read< 07:48
Boris Johnson urged not to cave in to ‘eco-warrior narrative’ over UK fishing
Last Friday, the UK Presidency at the summit marked “Ocean Action Day”, championing a call for action to protect and restore ocean health and resilience. In recent years, Downing Street has opened itself up to a variety of environmentalist groups, taking onboard their concerns and advice on how best to tackle environmental degradation. A large chunk of this has surrounded fishing, and the extent to which vessels operating in UK waters may be damaging ocean life beyond repair. Greenpeace is one organisation that has been at the forefront of attempting to influence Westminster. >click to read< 13:04
Huge Displacement: The United Kingdom is ‘sacrificing’ it’s fishing sector for offshore wind farms
The government has been accused of sacrificing the fishing industry for a second time since Brexit in order to burnish its green credentials with offshore wind farm’s.,, Boris Johnson, last year said the UK had an opportunity to become “the Saudi Arabia of wind”, as part of a goal to become carbon neutral by 2030. But in an echo of Brexit political divides, fishing officials said on Wednesday the government had failed to carry out impact assessments or recognise the huge “displacement” that wind turbines at sea were causing the fishing industry. “What we seem to have is a government that is in thrall to the conservation lobby, and you can see why – there are green votes that are there,” >click to read< 11:26
The ‘disastrous’ Brexit deal: Fishermen lament Brexit betrayal and ageing crews
This year was meant to mark the rebirth of British fishing. After years of decline under the Common Fisheries Policy, fishermen overwhelmingly backed Brexit as a means of regaining control of the waters and rebuilding the country’s fleets. It was a tantalising glimpse of a new dawn, but instead the deal struck between the Government and the EU,,, The combination of red tape and a lack of opportunities at sea means many young people are now turning their back on the industry. Ruinous as it has been, many fishermen say they were struggling to attract young people due to domestic red tape long before the Brexit negotiations neared their conclusion. >click to read< 10:41
‘We’ll be shafted’: Amid EU trade talks, there’s little optimism at Brixham harbour
Even before the sun rose, the harbour-side of Brixham, which bills itself as the birthplace of the trawling industry, was bustling. Fishermen, market workers and merchants were busy with their early morning tasks, landing, preparing, and auctioning off gleaming hauls of dover sole, monkfish and scallops. But in the background, thoughts of the Brexit negotiations taking place hundreds of miles away in London and Brussels were hovering. In truth, there was precious little optimism at the harbour. The most common responses, accompanied by a variety of colourful expletives, were variations on: “We’ll be sold down the river again” or “We’ll be shafted, we always are.” >click to read< 12:43
Jimmy Buchan warns no-deal Brexit ‘will hurt’ Scottish fishing industry
The warnings come just days after the final round of scheduled talks between London and Brussels broke off, with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier accusing his opposite number, David Frost, of not showing “any true will” to reach a deal. Since the outset of negotiations the EU has demanded “status quo” access to UK waters, which would essentially mean a continuation of the common fisheries policy, something that has been categorically rejected by Boris Johnson. Jimmy Buchan, chief executive of the Scottish Seafood Association, told the Commons environment committee that, despite the differences, a deal must be done “no question”. >click to read< 16:57
British fishermen should be able to double their catch in UK waters under new deal with EU
The intervention has come as fishing rights look set to dominate the fourth round of talks on a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. The country’s fishermen’s federations said they backed the UK Government’s uncompromising stance in ruling out any extension to the transition period, which ends in December, saying any further delay to leaving the hated Common Fisheries Policy[CFP] would only prolong the uncertainty that the sector had suffered since the 2016 EU referendum. >click to read< 12:48
Boris fires back at EU’s ‘wishful thinking’ amid fears UK ready to surrender on fishing – Boris Johnson’s official spokesman stepped in amid reports of a potential compromise agreement over future access to the UK’s territorial waters. Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, has signalled he is ready to give ground on his “maximalist” position that calls for the same level of access to UK waters as in the Common Fisheries Policy. The Frenchman could agree to a Norway-style fisheries treaty, with annual negotiations on quota shares and access,,, >click to read<
Quota Challenge as English Fishermen Claim They Are Being Sacrificed to Appease Scottish Nationalists
The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), which represents fishermen in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, has railed against the UK government for adopting “a policy of appeasement” towards separatist politicians in Scotland, handing over 1,500 tonnes of England’s fishing quota to the devolved administration in Edinburgh. Scotland voted to remain in the United Kingdom in 2014, but the Scottish National Party (SNP) has retained its grip on the regional executive, albeit as a minority administration. While nominally concerned with achieving full Scottish independence, the leadership of the SNP are staunchly in favour of the European Union (EU). Following the Brexit vote last year, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has been pressuring Theresa May to either keep the UK in the Single Market or find a way for Scotland to remain in it while the rest of the UK leaves. Read the story here 11:26
Fishermen’s federations adopt united stance on Brexit
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation
(SFF) and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) agreed the key outcomes they want from negotiations to leave the EU at a recent meeting in Edinburgh. The organisations say fishermen across the UK have welcomed Brexit as an opportunity to secure significant economic benefit for coastal communities once the UK regains control of its 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). At the meeting it was agreed they would seek fairer shares of catching opportunity for UK vessels and full control over access to the UK EEZ by fishing fleets. They also want to see the creation of a “fit-for-purpose” management and regulation system, including a grass roots revision of fisheries management based on “sustainable harvesting and sound science.” The federations are calling for the establishment of mutually beneficial trading relationships with the EU and other countries. They also agreed that there must be no roll-over of the current Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and that negotiations regarding fisheries should not be entangled with non-fisheries issues. And they insist negotiations must benefit all sectors of the fishing industry, including inshore and offshore fleets, fish and shellfish. Read the rest here 09:52
Fishing’s Low Ecological Footprint
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. Fisheries are lumped together with agriculture and forestry but this group has the lowest consumption of fossil energy in oil/tonnes equivalent by sector. Read more here Click for NFFO website 09:03
