Tag Archives: UK government
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
Factory Trawler Kirkella may be sold or moved abroad’ after devastating fishing deal
The Kirkella has been standing idle since December 2020 when the UK lost its rights to fish in Norwegian waters following Brexit. UK Fisheries, who operate the Kirkella, said that the new deal struck with the Scandinavian country leaves the crew with a quota amounting to just one week’s work. The fishing pact will see fleets from both countries able to catch up to 30,000 tonnes of cod, haddock and hake in the North Sea according to the government. But the owners of the Kirkella said it won’t be enough to sustain their ship or crew of 30. >click to read< 10:03
UK secures fishing access and quotas with Norway
Today (21 December 2021) the UK, negotiating as an independent coastal State, has reached an agreement with Norway on fisheries access and quotas for 2022. These discussions mark the start of a new arrangement between the UK and Norway, in which both parties permit some access to each other’s waters and exchange a number of fish quotas in the North Sea and the Arctic. The agreement on mutual access will allow respective fleets more flexibility to target the stocks in the best condition throughout the fishing year, supporting a more sustainable and economically viable fishing industry. >click to read< 09:07
Government ‘disappointed’ by French fishermen’s threats to block exports to UK
The Government has said it is “disappointed” by threats of protest action by French fishermen amid the escalating dispute over post-Brexit fishing rights,,, Talks are ongoing between Britain, France and the European Commission to settle the main source of contention, which is the number of licences to fish in waters around the British coastline for smaller French vessels which can prove they have historically operated there. But French fishermen are “exasperated” by the “endless months of waiting” and are ready to “exert more pressure” on the UK, according to the fishing committee for the northern Hauts-de-France region. >click to read< 19:15
NFFO hits the UK Government for betrayal of the fishing industry during the Brexit negotiations
There are some in the fishing industry whose trust in the Government has been irrevocably shattered. The fishing industry was given assurances from the top of government, the Prime Minister, senior cabinet ministers and Chief Negotiator himself, Lord Frost, that our industry would not be sold out in negotiations with Europe, as it had been by Edward Heath in 1973. There was always a risk. Even when the fishing industry was used as the poster-child for Brexit, the NFFO paid for and distributed thousands of flags bearing the message,,, >click to read< 08:45
French and Jersey fishermen must talk
STOP – arrêt! It is time for the Jersey and French fishermen to sort out their problems for themselves. It is no use their relying on the parliamentary dignities of Paris and London, nor the statesmen of Jersey or Normandie – they do not understand your problems because they are not fishermen. For the past 20 or so years you have fished together under the agreement of the Bay of Granville. You worked this out together and you can do it again. >click to read< 14:17 From Denise Waller
Hull trawler sold to Greenlandic fishing interests as owners blame Government ‘failure’ in post-Brexit negotiations
The Icelandic owners of Norma Mary have sold the 32-year-old trawler, mainly crewed by fishermen from Hull and Grimsby, to Greenlandic fishing interests, blaming “the Government’s failure to negotiate fishing opportunities”. News of the sale emerged as Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy told the Commons on Thursday that the country had been promised a “‘sea of opportunity’” that turned out to be no more than a stagnant millpond”.>click to read< 08:07
“It’s a peaceful protest,,, Why are French fishermen angry about Jersey’s post-Brexit fishing licences?!!
The issue is over fishing licences post-Brexit. Jersey is a British crown dependency, but it’s only 19km off the coast of France and around 250 French boats regularly fish the waters around the island, supporting around 900 families and another 2,000 jobs on shore. As part of Brexit related fishing talks it was agreed that French boats which had habitually fished around Jersey would be allowed to continue doing so, but would need new licences. Because of Jersey’s unusual status, owned by the British Crown but not actually part of the UK, these licences come from Jersey authorities, not the British government in London. But the fishermen say that when they received their licenses they had new requirements and limitations,,, >click to read< 11:29
France threatens to cut off the power to Jersey as leverage point in fishing rights dispute over UK water access
Responding to questions in the national assembly, Annick Girardin, the minister for maritime affairs, said she was “revolted” by the UK government’s behaviour over its waters and France was ready to retaliate. The British crown dependency of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, relies on “the transmission of electricity by underwater cable”, Girardin said as she was questioned by assembly members, raising the supply as a point of leverage. “I would regret it if we were to get there,” the minister said, but “we will do so if we have to.” >click to read< 22:44
Brexit trade deal leaves Welsh fishermen ‘devastated’
New rules to replace the EU Common Fisheries Policy mean 76 French and Belgian trawlers can fish within six miles of the Welsh coast until 2026. It means many Welsh fishermen may struggle to survive, the Welsh Fishermen’s Association said. The UK government said it protected fishermen’s rights. But those working in Wales said they were already struggling with export red tape. Barry Thomas, who voted for Brexit, said Prime Minister Boris Johnson “bottled” the deal “at the last minute”, after promising to keep foreign trawlers outside the UK’s 12-mile limit. >click to read< 08:40
Battle lines being drawn over fishing rights
Fish have been served up among the main bones of contention between the UK government and the European Union. The negotiating mandate published on Thursday at Westminster is a long way from the vision for a future relationship for managing wild fish stocks in the European Commission’s proposals. That comes as no surprise to those who have seen the pre-negotiation posturing from the rhetoric of the 2016 Brexit campaign, to the priorities set out by Brussels along with the Withdrawal Agreement. >click to read< 23:13
