Tag Archives: UK government
Fishermen’s voices must be heard amid Attenborough ocean propaganda
He is our national treasure, embraced by kings, princes, prime ministers and celebrities too many to mention. This week, it is his campaign to save the ocean that is driving the UN Ocean Conference as it tries to ratify the High Seas Treaty. Who would dare to denounce David Attenborough, beloved around the world for his conservation crusade, feted in the highest echelons and trusted to such an extent that his every word is gospel? Step forward one Elspeth Macdonald, little known outside her Scottish homeland but a strident, often lone, voice of dissent in the Attenborough global love-in. Macdonald is the chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) but she speaks for the industry across Britain when she calls out the “anti-fishing propaganda” of Attenborough’s recently released film, Ocean. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:42
Split decision in EU-UK fishing rights dispute as post-Brexit debate rumbles on
An arbitration panel has delivered a split decision in a post-Brexit fishing rights dispute between the UK and the European Union, according to the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The ruling adds another layer of complexity to the UK’s attempts to recalibrate its relationship with the bloc. At the heart of the disagreement was a British ban on sandeel fishing in its North Sea waters, a measure the EU argued violated the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. A three-person tribunal found the ban disproportionate in English waters, directing the UK to take the necessary steps to comply with their decision. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:49
Fishing representatives brand fish-for-arms EU deal ‘absolutely ludicrous’
Fishing representatives have reacted with alarm to unconfirmed reports that the UK government is wagering access to British waters for an arms deal with the EU. After months of unease, reports first emerged over the weekend that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was closing in on access to a €150 billion EU defence fund — in return, at least in part, for a more generous, multi-year access arrangement for European fishermen. “If true, it is ludicrous that the UK government has caved in to French demands,” said Elspeth MacDonald, chief executive of the Scottish Fishing Federation. “Absolutely ludicrous indeed,” said the Shetland Fishermen’s Association. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:44
Scottish fishing industry backing by PM welcomed by north-east MP Seamus Logan
Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP Seamus Logan
A north-east MP has secured a firm commitment from the Prime Minister to support the Scottish fisheries sector. In a question to Keir Starmer MP at Prime Minister’s Questions, Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP Seamus Logan raised the vital contribution of the Scottish fishing industry in terms of volume and value to the UK. Mr. Logan highlighted the importance of protecting its interests and future as the UK government pursue economic growth and a reset in relations with the European Union to which the Prime Minister responded positively in agreement. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:53
Government went against scientific advice in setting fishing quotas, court told
The Government went against scientific advice when it set maximum fishing quotas for 2024, risking the sustainability of stocks and the livelihoods of fishers, the High Court has heard. Blue Marine Foundation is bringing legal action against the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), saying it acted contrary to its commitments to protect the UK’s marine environment and fishing industry. Known as the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS), the Government set eight objectives for managing the UK’s fish stocks, which include sustainability, reducing bycatch, protecting ecosystems and following scientific advice. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:03
Don’t use fishing as a bargaining chip, warns Scottish industry
In a message to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation warns that the UK government must not gamble away the future of Scottish fishing businesses by using the industry as a bargaining chip in negotiations to improve relations with the EU. ‘The Scottish fishing industry has twice in the past been regarded as expendable by British Prime Ministers when it comes to Europe,’ warned SFF chief executive Elspeth Macdonald. ‘We must not have a repeat of 1973 when the condition of entry to the EEC was that our richly endowed fishing waters be pooled with other members, or of 2020 when the Brexit agreement, while restoring the UK to the status of sovereign coastal state, granted continued access to our waters to EU vessels to catch far more fish in our waters than they catch in their own.’ more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:12
Fishing back in the offshore wind firing line
The NFFO has criticized the moves by the UK government to expand the network of marine protected areas – with the intention of offsetting the damage caused by offshore wind. The announcement has been made by Minister for Water and Flooding Emma Hardy – and the Minister for Water and Flooding Emma Hardy described this as demonstrating the ‘Labour government’s green credentials: they are enthusiastically recycling a policy snatched from the wreckage of their Conservative predecessors.’ ‘Time and again, the authorities have granted permission for offshore wind farms to be built on the basis of environmental impact assessment reports invariably stating that each proposed development will cause no significant harm. Now those same developments are apparently so damaging that a slew of new marine protected areas is necessary to make up for it. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:25
Fishing industry calls on governments to radically rethink its approach towards sector
The massive growth in offshore wind developments and the resetting of relationships with the EU could threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen according to the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF). In a New Year message, the industry body warned that the Scottish fishing industry was at risk of being crushed unless a “radical rethink” of governments’ approach towards the sector was taking place. The SFF’s chief executive Elspeth Macdonald also warned of an “apparent determination of the EU to have it all in a new fisheries access agreement for UK waters”. Her comments coincided with a warning from the Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) that the local industry was now “in a battle for survival against the proliferation of offshore wind farms”. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:38
Carmichael leads backbench fisheries debate
Isles MP Alistair Carmichael has called for he termed “the modern gangsters of the sea” to be tackled more effectively by the UK’s marine enforcement agencies. His comments came after a German registered/Spanish owned gill netter, well known to local fishermen, were handed heavy fines by an Irish court for breaching fisheries legislation. The Orkney and Shetland MP led a three hour fisheries debate in parliament on Friday, which raised a wide range of issues important to the sector. Carmichael described the F/V Pesorsa Dos and [French long liner] F/V Antonio Maria as “notorious examples” engaged in dangerous behaviour towards local fishing vessels in the waters around Shetland in recent years. However, efforts by the local industry and the Northern Isles MP to get Marine Scotland, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) as well as the UK Government to act were largely unsuccessful. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:51
UK Government Launches Remote Electronic Monitoring on Fishing Vessels
The UK Government has begun rolling out Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) systems on fishing vessels, marking a significant step towards modernising the monitoring of fishing activities and promoting sustainability. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in collaboration with key partners, is implementing this technology to collect real-time data on fishing activities and catches, supporting both the industry and environmental conservation efforts. The REM system, comprising sensors and cameras, will provide data on the location and timing of fishing operations and what species are being caught. Defra’s Fisheries Act (2020) and the Joint Fisheries Statement form the legal basis for this initiative, aimed at ensuring a sustainable future for UK fisheries. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:47
NFFO Challenges Crown Estate: Food Security or Energy Production
This week, The Crown Estate unveiled an ambitious new vision for Britain’s seas, prioritising the development of offshore wind farms. The new Marine Delivery Routemap outlines plans for significant offshore wind capacity, with the potential for up to 140GW of wind power to be installed or planned by 2040. However, this massive shift towards industrialising the marine environment has sparked concerns within the fishing industry, which fears the impact on traditional fishing grounds and coastal communities. The proposed expansion will see tens of thousands of square kilometres of the UK’s waters leased for offshore wind development, raising concerns about the overlap with areas vital to food production through fishing. Fishermen, who have been working Britain’s seas for generations, worry that the scale of these developments could disrupt the industry on an unprecedented scale. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:07
‘I’m a fisherman and lifelong Tory who voted Brexit. I won’t vote for them again’
Fisherman James Stephen has been at sea for more than 40 years. Based in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, which is home to the largest fishing port in Europe, he voted for Brexit in 2016 in the hope it would give his community a greater share of fishing in UK waters. But eight years on, he feels he was sold a “pack of lies” and says it has cost the Conservatives his vote at the general election. “I would say that 99 per cent of the fishing industry would have voted for Brexit in the hope that we could get back control of our waters, rightfully get our share of [fishing] quota which was given away when we joined the EU,” says Mr Stephen. “I hoped, by voting for Brexit, we could undo some of the unjust that was done to the industry then. But for me, it’s been a total disaster. Nothing we were promised materialised.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:40
UK authorities backtrack on under-10 medical requirement
The UK government has announced a partial reversal of its policy on medical certification for fishermen. This follows an extensive campaign by the NFFO, and now anyone fishing for four weeks or more on a UK under-10 vessel between 30th November 2021 and 29th November 2023 is exempt from the requirement to hold a medical fitness certificate. ‘This is a welcome outcome and desperately needed. It is a total reversal in the government’s position on the under 10m fleet and will benefit thousands of fishermen,’ an NFFO representative commented. more, >>click to read<< 06:50
UK Will Provide Record $1B in Support to Offshore Wind in Next Auction
The UK government is planning to offer a record amount of support in the next round of offshore wind energy auctions scheduled for this year. It comes as the latest effort to kick start the next phase of renewable energy development in the UK after they fell short in 2023 with no bidders in the previous round of auctions. In addition to increasing its support for offshore wind, the government also earmarked £200 million for other forms of renewable energy. This includes a third round for tidal energy projects, as well as support for onshore wind, solar farms, geothermal, and to support the continued development of floating offshore wind farms. more, >>click to read<< 09:54
European fishermen furious as Britain ‘breaks Brexit deal’ to block them
The EU is facing pressure from Denmark and Sweden to take action against the UK in the latest dispute over fishing post-Brexit. The UK has banned catching sand eels on Dogger Bank in the North Sea – a move which could lead Denmark’s fishing industry facing a potential annual loss of €18million (£15.4million). The sand eel is crucial for the economies of both Denmark and Sweden for their uses in pig feed and fish oil. Discussions over how the EU should respond have even included imposing tariffs on UK exports if the dispute escalates to a breach of the on Dogger Bank. Other coastal states are also understood to have backed the demand by Copenhagen for the EU to stand up to London. More, >>click to read<< 16:37
‘Still 1,700 EU vessels plundering British seas’ UK fishermen reveal TRUTH of ‘sell-out’ deal capitulating to France
The fishing community has been left fuming four years on from the UK’s departure from the EU after accusing the UK of signing up to a “sell-out” Brexit deal in capitulation to France. Former Brexit Party MEP June Mummery, who is also the managing director of the Lowestoft-based fish market auctioneers BFP Eastern, said: “We haven’t taken back control of our waters and the resource. “Fishing, coastal communities were stabbed in the back. The UK fishing is on its knees. ”There are still 1,700 EU vessels plundering, unmonitored, unregulated. “Eight of which are super trawlers. DEFRA wants the small fishermen gone to make way for wind mills.” more, >>click to read<< 07:27
Devon man forced to sell boat as fish ban sparks turmoil
Devon fishermen face an uncertain start to 2024 as tough new rules imposing limitations on what they can catch were imposed by the UK Government in conjunction with the EU. The pollack quota is now effectively at zero and can only be caught as bycatch – when they’re caught in nets whilst fishing for a different species. Brixham fisherman Rob Adams is having to put his beloved 10-metre boat, ‘Jodie B’, up for sale rendering him and his crew ‘unemployed’. Rob, aged 55, has been fishing since he was 16-years old but said ‘there’s no income from Jodie B now’ due to the pollack fishing restrictions. photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:52
Documentary reveals exploitative working conditions on board gill netters
ISLES MP Alistair Carmichael is to lobby the UK Government and other relevant organisations to put pressure on Germany after yet more revelations about the fleet of foreign gill netters operating in Shetland waters. Working conditions described as “just one step removed from modern slavery” have been uncovered on board a number of Spanish-owned and German-registered gill netters catching monkfish. A 30-minute programme by German public broadcaster NDR documents how the Indonesian crews on board the Pesorsa Dos and Ortegal Tres are working 12-hour days, sometimes for a whole year with no day off, and being paid 800 euros (around £700) per month. Video, >click to read< 13:52
Hundreds of Scots fisherman face losing jobs as new rules brand them too fat to fish
UK Government regulations which are about to come into force will mean seafarers must have a medical certificate showing a body mass index (BMI) of under 35 – or risk being banned from their own trawlers. Crewmen fear they will not be able to go to sea because of the draconian requirements. Furious fishermen branded the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) rules “discrimination”. Bob Dunsire, 49, who has been skippering prawn boats out of Pittenweem, Fife, since he was a teenager, said he can barely believe what is being done to the industry. He said: “I know I don’t have a BMI under 35 and I’m furious at these new medical requirements. They could see me out of my job and put my entire crew out of work, too. Photos, >click to read< 08:00
£20.8 million funding boost for the Scottish fishing industry
The UK Government today (Monday 17 July) announced the latest Scottish projects to receive investment from the £100 million UK Seafood Fund. A total of £18.7 million is being awarded to 10 projects across Scotland through the Infrastructure Scheme to improve capability at ports, harbours, processing and aquaculture facilities. In addition, £2.1 million is being allocated to four Scottish projects through the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme to provide vital research that will inform fisheries management. >click to read< 11:41
UK government faces legal challenge over visa system for migrant fishers
Human rights lawyers have begun the process of bringing a judicial review against the Home Office, arguing that visa arrangements used to employ overseas crew are in breach of European human rights law. The so-called “transit visa” scheme was the subject of an FT investigation published on Thursday, which detailed the mistreatment of four Filipino fishermen who worked on British boats over the course of a year. Lawyers at law firm Leigh Day told the FT they had taken the first step 
towards legal action against the government, outlining their arguments in a letter to home secretary Suella Braverman. The government has two weeks to respond — although it can ask for an extension — after which Leigh Day will decide whether to issue proceedings in court. >click to read< 11:50
UK response to visa rule concerns branded an ‘insult’ to Scottish fishermen
New rules came into force last week affecting the visas most commonly used by non-UK fishermen. The industry heavily criticised the move, saying it could lead to businesses in the Highlands and islands closing down. Now Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, has raised these concerns directly with the Home Office and says the UK Government’s decision is “economically illiterate, politically inept and morally indefensible”. However, new rules came into force last week banning anyone on transit visas from carrying out work on fishing boats, and requiring them to get a skilled workers visa instead. >click to read< 12:25
Fishing deals expected to net £750 million-plus catch for UK fleet in 2023
An earlier agreement between the UK, European Union and Norway covered six key North Sea fish stocks, including cod, haddock and herring, and access to other waters. The outcome of those talks was expected to deliver additional quota worth £213m to the UK fishing industry. Separate discussions with fellow north-east Atlantic “coastal states” will deliver an extra £256m of quota, while a deal with Norway adds another £5m, according to the government. >click to read< 08:54
Questions over Teesside Freeport’s role when it comes to washed up fish – Andy Brown
A new deep water port is being created to service the offshore wind industry and new facilities are being established to build the turbines. In theory a bustling freeport will usher in a new age of industrial prosperity for a long-neglected part of the north with pesky regulations being swept away so that they don’t delay progress. There is, of course, much to be admired about the project. Unfortunately rushing to build without worrying too much about the consequences for others can also bring big problems. In this case those downsides are having a huge impact on the livelihoods of Yorkshire fishing communities and on the health of a huge area of our coastline. >click to read< 11:26
Panel to investigate crab and lobster deaths on north-east coast of England
The UK government is to set up an independent expert panel to investigate the cause of the mass die-offs of crabs and lobsters on the north-east coast of England, it has announced. The panel will consider the impact of dredging around a freeport development in Teesside and the presence of pyridine, a chemical pollutant, among other potential causes, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said. Mark Spencer, the fisheries minister, said on Tuesday: “I recognise fishing communities in the north-east want as thorough an assessment as possible into the crab and lobster deaths last year. >click to read< 07:35
Scots fishers urge ministers to resist campaign for giant freezer trawler
The UK Government is being urged to ignore a “concerted campaign” to deprive Scottish fishers of quota in favour of a huge, foreign-owned freezer trawler operating out of a British port. Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association chief executive Ian Gatt and Shetland Fishermen’s Association executive officer Simon Collins said lobbying by the vessel’s owner, East Yorkshire-based UK Fisheries, to secure more fish “must be resisted”. Mr Gatt said: “This vessel operates out of Hull, but is owned primarily by Dutch and Icelandic interests, is largely operated by a non-UK crew and processes its catch on board. >click to read< 09:31
Jimmy Buchan: energy costs will drive fish processors out of business
Mr Buchan has sent a letter to the two candidates vying to become Prime Minister, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, ahead of their campaigning visits to Scotland tomorrow. In the letter Mr Buchan, the chief executive of the Scottish Seafood Association, warned that on top of Brexit and Covid, escalating fuel costs were having a “devastating impact on our ability to remain viable”. Meanwhile, the body representing the fishing industry has also issued an open letter to the prospective PMs. Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, highlighted the need for “fairer decision making” over use of the seas in order to prevent fishing becoming “collateral damage” ahead of the spansion of wind farms. >click to read< 15:21
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
‘Boris, where’s your Russian sanctions?’ asks F/V Altaire’s First Mate
The first mate of local pelagic trawler F/V Altaire has written to prime minister Boris Johnson urging the UK Government to act over Russian factory ships fishing for blue whiting in UK waters around 100 miles to the west of Shetland. Colin Leask said there were 11 Russian vessels presently in the UK’s shared zone with the Faroe Islands fishing for a “ridiculously inflated” quota of 75,000 tonnes of blue whiting. The crewman’s appeal is the latest attempt by the industry to get the government to close a loophole that enables Russian vessels to fish inside UK waters at a time of “supposedly strict sanctions” against the country in response to the invasion of Ukraine. >click to read< 16:50
UK: Fishing industry promised ‘bright future’ with £75m funding boost
The funding, which will be used to modernise UK ports and processing facilities, has been welcomed by industry bodies who have faced challenges in the sector following Brexit. Announcing the funding, the UK Government said it would go towards better infrastructure, strengthened supply chains, new jobs, and an investment in skills. The move will see £65m go to modernising ports and harbours, while £10m will encourage new entrants into the sector, and train and upskill those already working in it. >click to read< 07:47
