Tag Archives: United Kingdom
G7 summit: Who is attending and what’s on the agenda?
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US – will meet on Sunday in the remote town of Kananaskis, Alberta, nestled in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, for three days of intense discussions. This will be the 51st G7 summit meeting. The first took place in 1975 in Rambouillet, France. Back then, it was known as the G6 meeting, as Canada did not become a member until the following year. Russia joined the forum in 1998, making it the G8, but was effectively expelled in 2014, following its annexation of Crimea. Since then, the forum has been known as the G7. Tensions at this year’s gathering, taking place June 15-17, are likely to be high for many reasons. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:53
Brexit fishing fury as France seized British boat ‘in revenge plot’
French authorities seized a British fishing boat in the English Channel in response to UK authorities fining a French boat for breaking maritime rules, it has been claimed. The Lady T, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was seized by the French naval ship The Pluvier on Thursday for fishing for whelks without a licence. The vessel could be confiscated and its owner slapped with a £63,000 fine for “non-authorised fishing in French waters” by a non-EU boat. Olivier Leprêtre, chair of the regional fishing committee in northern France, noted on Sunday that the small English boat may have been seized in a tit-for-tat process, after a French skipper was fined £40,000 in a landmark case in April. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:52
Lost fishermen remembered at UK services
Fishermen who lost their lives at sea are being remembered at special services around the UK. National Fishing Remembrance Day was created in 2024 by maritime organisations including the Hampshire-based Fishermen’s Mission. The charity said Sunday’s services – including Brixham, Kilkeel and Peterhead which have been designated as national services for England, Northern Ireland and Scotland – were a reminder that fishing remained one of the most dangerous peacetime occupations. A total of 26 deaths involving fishing vessels were recorded in the five years from 2019 to 2023, according to the Marine Accident Investigation Board. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:50
Work halted on huge windfarm in North Sea amid rising costs
Energy giant Orsted has said it is stopping work on one of the UK’s biggest upcoming offshore wind projects, in a blow to the Government’s clean energy plans. The world’s largest offshore wind developer said it will halt its Hornsea 4 project, a massive, planned wind farm in the North Sea that could have powered more than one million homes. Orsted said the project had suffered rising supply chain costs, higher interest rates and increasing risk of not finishing the project on time. It said the problems had “increased the execution risk and deteriorated the value creation of the project”. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:50
Fishermen v Big Wind: A David and Goliath story
Commercial fishing is a tiny contributor to the UK economy. In 2023, UK vessels landed approximately 719,000 tonnes of sea fish with a value of £1.1 billion. It amounts to around 0.03% of total economic output and around 5% of the broader agriculture, forestry and fishing sector. Compare this with UK offshore wind, with its 15 GW of installed capacity and current GVA per GW installed of around £1.8 billion and rising. David is small, semi-nomadic and works across a vast sea area; Goliath is massive and growing rapidly. Whilst Big Wind occupies clearly defined areas, it overlaps massively into traditional fishing grounds and is becoming a major UK employer. The fishing industry eventually learned to live with Big Oil, which is now on the wane, but living with territory-guzzling offshore wind farms – fixed and floating – may prove a lot more challenging. Fishing feels threatened. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:45
Kemi Badenoch accuses Labour leader of ‘selling out’ British fishing rights to the EU
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of ‘selling out’ British fisheries in exchange for a new trade deal with Brussels. The Prime Minister is close to agreeing a reset with the European Union which will allow British defence companies to bid for a new €150 billion defence fund but is expected to also announce significant concessions on fishing rights and freedom of movement. Brexiteers have responded with fury. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘Every time Labour negotiates, Britain loses. Keir Starmer tried repeatedly to overturn Brexit, and it beggars belief that now he’s in government he’s selling out our fishing rights. Instead of capitulating to the EU yet again, Labour should be pressing home our Brexit benefits.’ Photos, links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:30
Little interest in future of fishermen’s association
A planned first meeting of the Guernsey Fishermen’s Association since 2022 will not be going ahead due to a lack of interest. The industry has shrunk in recent years and an over-abundance of octopus has been blamed for a sharp decline in crabs and lobsters. The association’s vice-president Dougal Lane had said he had hoped to hold an emergency meeting of the association last month. It would have been the first since its last chairman, Barry Paint, a former States deputy, died in July 2022. However, he said that after making enquiries with members he had not gone ahead due to a lack of interest. ‘The older ones who might have come along are talking about decommissioning and the younger ones aren’t interested,’ he said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:01
‘Lied to and cheated’: Fishing industry’s sense of betrayal during Brexit debate
Fishing did not quite return to its pre-Brexit poster boy status in parliament recently, but certainly featured above its weight as MPs debated a motion for the UK to seek a return to membership of the European Union. The debate, prompted by a recent petition to parliament that exceeded the 100,000-signature threshold required to trigger such debates, came as opinion polls show an increase in support for a trade deal, or a return to membership of the EU. Fifty-five percent of British people surveyed in the latest YouGov poll were in favour of a return to EU membership, with just 11% saying that Brexit had been a success. Whilst the debate ranged over a wide number of issues, coastal MPs from all parties made the point that Brexit had badly let down the fishing industry – though for some speakers this was caused by Brexit itself, with others blaming the subsequent TCA. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:50
Cod War captains meet for first time since clash
Some of the 43 trawler captains who were on opposite sides in the Cod Wars have met for the first time since the conflict to discuss how to commemorate the battle. Between the 1950s and 1970s, the UK sparred with Iceland over fishing rights in the North Atlantic, in what became known in the British press as the “Cod Wars”. The Icelandic ex-fishermen visited their British counterparts at the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre on Wednesday to learn how to mark the dispute in their native country. Jerry Thompson, chairman of the heritage centre and former fisherman, said: “We had three Cod Wars with Iceland and at the end of the day we are still absolute partners.” Photos, more. >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:30
Tributes to heroic Northumberland fisherman who saved 127 lives at sea and was honoured by Queen
Tributes have been paid to a Northumberland RNLI member who was directly involved in saving more than 120 lives at sea. Rodney Burge, born and bred in Amble, started off his maritime career very early and actually lied about his age to get into the Royal Navy at 15. Mr. Burge left the Royal Navy in 1969 and returned to his hometown, where he signed up for the volunteer lifeboat crew alongside his day job as a fisherman. In 1992 he was appointed Coxswain and served until his retirement at the age of 55 in 1999. Queen Elizabeth II presented Mr Burge with an MBE for service to safety at sea in 1998, and in 2023, he was given a vellum by the RNLI at Amble. It was said that he was directly responsible for saving 127 lives at sea over his time with the charity. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:35
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
Farmer who became seafood champion takes on new roles in fishing industry
For complicated reasons, UK seafood has become marginalized in its home market. Despite a stunning coastline filled with a rich array of sea species, the UK exports much of its own fish produce to countries which appreciate it – only to import vast amounts of seafood for home consumption from abroad. It’s a conundrum which has vexed Mike Warner, founder of A Passion for Seafood, for many years. In the UK, we stick largely to what we know – cod, haddock, farmed salmon, tinned tuna and prawns – most of which is sourced from abroad. Meanwhile there are 40 to 50 commercial marine species which UK consumers largely ignore, and which instead make their way to high-class continental restaurants and to grateful seafood connoisseurs. “We have got a paradox in this country that we export 80% of what we catch and import 80% of what we consume,” he says. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:09
Brussels demand Keir Starmer surrenders UK fishing rights for EU deal
Brussels will demand Labour surrender fishing rights and follow EU laws for the first time since Brexit, it was reported last night. European leaders are said to want to make a new trade deal with Sir Keir Starmer dependent on Britain accepting European Court of Justice jurisdiction. It would be the first time since Brexit in January 2020 that the UK has had to follow EU law as part of its trading relationship with the bloc. It makes clear Brussels will demand key concessions on fishing, the European Court of Justice and youth mobility. Current fishing arrangements are seen by the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations as a ‘neo-colonial relationship with the EU’ as the UK has given up post-Brexit control of fishery resources. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:39
Norway, EU and UK conclude 2025 fisheries deal
A tripartite agreement on quotas and management of joint North Sea stocks has been reached between Norway, the EU and the UK. ‘I am satisfied that we have a fisheries agreement with the EU and Britain. The agreement we have now entered into means that we agree on quotas for stocks we manage together in the North Sea and is important for all three parties. The agreement contributes to sustainable management,’ says Norway’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Marianne Sivertsen Næss. The parties also agree to continue closing the spawning grounds for cod in 2025. The closures will take place in the first quarter. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:07
MAIB report into loss of Ocean Maid
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the grounding and subsequent loss of the Ocean Maid BA 55. The report – the purpose of which is not to attribute fault or blame – says that on the afternoon of 23 October 2022 the 1986-built prawn trawler left Eyemouth to make an overnight passage to a shipyard in Fraserburgh for planned maintenance and minor repairs. The vessel’s crew of four included the skipper and his father – the co-owners of the vessel – a watchkeeper and a deckhand. At around 2.40am, the watchkeeper took over the watch from the skipper. At approximately 5.35am, the watchkeeper checked the estimated time of arrival at Fraserburgh and recalled seeing an ETA of 5.56am ‘or thereabouts’ on the plotter display. The watchkeeper then left the wheelhouse and went down to the galley to make tea for the crew. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:46
Arrests after ‘significant’ 400kg cocaine seizure
Four men have been arrested after a “significant” drugs haul was seized from a fishing boat off the coast of Kent. Border Force officers said they intercepted the vessel at sea on Sunday morning and discovered 400kg of cocaine. Three men on board, aged 64, 45 and 25, were arrested on suspicion of importing class A drugs and taken into police custody to be questioned by National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators. A fourth man, aged 36, was arrested in Rainham, east London, said the NCA. NCA operations manager Jules Harriman said: “This amount of cocaine will represent a significant loss for the organized crime group that attempted to import it into the UK. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:30
EU to demand continued fishing rights in British waters
The European Union (EU) will demand to keep its fishing rights in British waters, the bloc’s Brexit negotiator has told MEPs. The post-Brexit deal agreed by the EU saw its fishing quota in British waters cut by 25 per cent, but European fishermen were allowed continued access to parts of the UK’s coastal waters. As the deal nears its expiry in 2026, the EU is keen to start negotiating as soon as possible to keep its access to the UK’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends by up to 200 nautical miles from the coast. Government officials fear the EU will only renegotiate the Brexit trade agreement – a key part of Labour’s manifesto – if the UK guarantees European fishermen full access to its seas after 2026. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:27
How fishing rights could prove key to the UK’s new negotiations with the EU
Over eight years after the Brexit referendum, crucial decisions about the UK’s future relationship with the bloc are about to be made. Decisions over softened immigration rules, the future of Gibraltar and wider economic access are all likely to be discussed as Labour prepares to negotiate in earnest for the first time with the EU as the Trade and Cooperation Agreement reaches its five-year renegotiation mark. Sir Keir Starmer, whose political career was catapulted into the limelight by his prominent support for a 2nd referendum on Brexit and an overall closer relationship with Europe, has sought to reset relations with the EU since becoming Prime Minister and will be scrutinized heavily over his choices in the negotiations. The discussions over fishing have seemingly jumped to the top of the EU’s priority list, following a number of disputes since the Trade and Co-operation Agreement. Despite relatively cordial relations between the UK and EU over the past few years, fishing has remained controversial. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
Decorated former lifeboat coxswain nominated for Pride of Britain award
Hewitt Clark, one of only three living recipients of the RNLI’s highest recognition for bravery, has been nominated for a This Morning Pride of Britain award for his work in the emergency services. He was put forward on behalf of the RNLI, in recognition of the charity’s 200th anniversary. During his 35 years of service as a mechanic and coxswain he was awarded both a gold, silver and three bronze medals for gallantry. Overall Clark took part in 423 rescues, helping to save 319 lives. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:41
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
Fisherman converts boat to become first in UK powered by battery
Sitting in the water, there is little to tell the Lorna Jane apart from other fishing boats. But this vessel is believed to be one of a kind. Below deck, where the engine once was, there is a battery equivalent in size to a small electric car. Above, there is a double-sided solar panel, catching the sun’s rays and reflections from the sea. Unlike its diesel counterparts, this fishing boat runs entirely on electric. Its owner Hans Unkles has been a boatbuilder and fisherman for around 40 years. He spent two-and-a-half years converting the boat in a shed near the village of Tayvallich. “It’s definitely the only one in the UK, and I’ve done a whole lot of social media, which reaches around the world, and I’ve not heard of another all-electric fishing boat.” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:19
Urgent MAIB warning following MOB fatality
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued a safety bulletin following the fatal accident onboard the 18.35m crabber Kingfisher DH 110 (FN, 25 July, ‘Fatal MOB from Dartmouth crabber’). The bulletin urges the Home and Dry Safety Forum to immediately communicate through its members the need for owners and crew of potting vessels to review their deck working risk assessments. The Kingfisher tragedy, which occurred 30nm east-north-east of Wick on 12 July this year, saw a deckhand become attached to the backrope and be pulled overboard while manually toggling on creels. The deckhand’s PFD automatically inflated, and he initially surfaced, leading the crew to believe he was clear of the backrope and floating freely. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:06
Safety Warning Issued After Fatal Incident onboard F/V Kingfisher
A safety warning has been issued to fishing vessel owners and crew following a tragic incident aboard the potting vessel Kingfisher (DH110), resulting in the loss of one life. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released a bulletin urging those involved in the fishing industry to reassess deck risk assessments, particularly focusing on the hazards associated with shooting or recovering creels. On 12 July 2024, the crew of Kingfisher were engaged in manually shooting a string of creels when a deckhand became entangled in a creel’s leg rope. On 12 July 2024, the crew of Kingfisher were engaged in manually shooting a string of creels when a deckhand became entangled in a creel’s leg rope. The entanglement caused the deckhand to be pulled overboard. Upon entering the water, his personal flotation device (PFD) inflated as designed. The crew swiftly used the vessel’s hauling winch to recover the submerged deckhand within seven minutes.more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:07
Threat of mobile gear ban in 30% of Scottish waters
The Scottish government has launched a far-reaching consultation – set to run for just eight weeks – that could see fishing banned from 20 MPAs that cover a third of Scottish waters. As a minimum, it seems set to see five MPAs closed entirely to fishing, with 15 others seeing no-fish zones designated within them. The consultation gives only the option of partial or total fishing bans within the MPAs – it does not allow for a ‘neither option’ response. The government says that a second consultation relating to management and restriction of fishing inside 12nm will follow shortly. For each of the 20 MPAs, a review of fisheries management options, many drafted over a decade ago during the original designation process, is available. These range from the relatively uncontroversial closure of areas such as some deepwater sea mounts that have rarely, if ever, been fished, to much more controversial areas, such as the Central Fladen MPA. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:11
Last trawler used in Falklands War to be scrapped
The last of the fishing trawlers requisitioned by the UK government to take part in the Falklands conflict is being scrapped. The Farnella, now known as the Empire Persia, was built on Tyneside in 1972 and was one of nine civilian vessels from Hull to travel to the South Atlantic in 1982. It then went on to become a treasure hunting ship on operations to find wrecks, some carrying gold and silver worth millions of pounds. Robb Robinson, maritime historian at Hull University said: “The Farnella is one of a long line of trawlers to serve in wartime and has had an amazing history since, it really is unique.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:17
A Day In The Life Of: Maryport fisherman Shaun Humphreys
“I’ve been fishing all my life. I was getting a bit fed up with it all – the same old stuff, and not knowing what prices you were going to get – but now I love it.” Fifty-two-year-old Shaun’s career started at a young age, fishing with his great-uncle. “I started going out with him when I was really young. I was out on trawlers long before I left school.” On leaving school, Shaun’s career as a professional fisherman began – and by the 1990s he was skippering his own vessels. Fishing out of Maryport, targeting seasonal mixed flatfish, Nephrops and scallops, Shaun is now on his third vessel, Chelaris MT 23 – with his brother Wayne and son Cameron crewing. The Covid pandemic of 2020 led to the vessel’s name also becoming familiar with the people of Maryport, helping Shaun to rekindle his passion for fishing in the process. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:30
Fish and chips price rise tops UK takeaways
The average price for a portion of fish and chips rose more than 50% to nearly £10 in the five years to July – while the cost of a kebab went up 44% and pizza 30%. Chip shop owners cite a “perfect storm” of costs in recent years, including soaring energy bills, tariffs on seafood imports and extreme weather hammering potato harvests. This all means a family of four won’t get much change out of a £50 note once they’ve forked out for their tea and added some mushy peas and cans of pop. “I’ve never known an onslaught of pressures in terms of costs going up,” said Jon Long, of Long John’s Fish and Chips in Dorset. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:08
Wind Turbine Blade Fails on GE Vernova Turbine at UK Dogger Bank Wind Farm
A blade on one of the wind turbines at the under-construction Dogger Bank wind farm off the coast of England failed yesterday, August 22. Details on the incident are sparse at this point and neither GE Vernova, manufacturer of the blade, nor SSE Renewables the spokesperson for the consortium behind the project are commenting. This is the second failure of a blade at the UK wind farm although the companies blamed the prior one on a problem during installation. The wind farm however is also using the 13 MW GE Halidale-X turbines, the same manufacturing that confirmed a “manufacturing deviation,” causing a blade at Vineyard Wind 1, a U.S. offshore wind, to break apart in July. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:27
JMT tragedy: Looking for answers – and an apology
I’m writing this after my annual trip to sit at Rame Head and look over the spot where my son Michael and his colleague Shane Hooper died nine years ago. Shane was 33 when he died, and Michael was 22. I’ve been fighting since then for some kind of justice, and for changes that will prevent other needless deaths at sea. The fundamental issue that saw my son go to sea in a boat that was certified as safe, but most certainly was not, has never been addressed. Michael was fishing at the age of 14, whelking as soon as he was able to leave school and work full-time, and well used to weights on deck. He wanted to go scalloping, and I found what was advertised as the ideal boat for him. The boat, called JMT, was an under- 10m scalloper, and had just passed its MCA survey, then conducted through Seafish. If I had had an additional independent survey done (this haunts me to this day), it would have been deemed unsafe immediately. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:01
Keir Starmer warned ‘act now’ to stop EU fishermen plundering cod in UK waters
Politicians in Brussels have started rattling their sabres as the European Union seeks to lay down its markers and roll-over the Brexit fisheries deal which saw the UK ‘give up everything’, an industry expert says. Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to act and stop fishers from the European Union plundering fish stocks in UK territorial waters. The EU has extensive access to Britain’s waters in a reciprocal arrangement which in practice is more advantageous to European countries. EU members did “very well” under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) deal signed by Boris Johnson’s government and the bloc, with French fishers taking over 80 percent of cod stocks on the UK side of the English Channel and Belgian counterparts catching some 70 percent of Dover sole in Welsh waters, according to Mike Cohen, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO). more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:01
