Fisheries rethink could create 100,000 jobs
Restoring fish quotas to healthy levels could revitalise the Westcountry fishing fleet and generate huge benefits for the economy, a new report claims.
Up to 100,000 jobs could be created and a staggering £3 billion injected into a "bleeding" European economy if badly-managed fisheries were restored to their former glory, it warns.
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The costing of the potential benefits of a sustainably run fishery comes as a damning report by the European Union's financial watchdog concludes that decades of failure has undermined the sector, prompting calls for the return of sovereign powers to UK fishing grounds.
Jim Portus, chief executive of the South West Fish Producers Organisation, said ministers were making decisions on quotas using "very shaky information".
He said not enough resources were being put into scientific analysis of fish and their movements, leaving decision-makers with an inaccurate "snapshot" of stocks.
"Survey vessels go to the same areas year in year out even if they are finding nothing," he added.
"The Government says the priority is to spend money on Natural England and set up marine conservation zones, withdrawing money from the fishing laboratory in Lowestoft, but there is no substitute for collecting good science."
The study, by the New Economics Foundation, Jobs Lost at Sea, found that some fish stocks had been fished to "the brink of collapse" and left "a shadow of their former selves". It added: "The decline in catches has been mirrored by corresponding falls in fishing revenues and the numbers of jobs they support."
Figures from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) support this, showing a 22 per cent fall in fishing jobs in England between 2000 and 2009, leaving just 1,797 fishermen working the 1,216 vessels which operate out of Newlyn, Brixham and Plymouth. But with the UK fleet second only to Spain in gross tonnage, and South West boats accounting for ten per cent of this, the potential for growth offered by better management is obvious.
Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon said of the report: "I fully understand the economic impacts that overfishing can have, which is why during recent negotiations with the EU I pushed hard for them to follow scientific advice when setting limits on how many fish can be caught. If science says we need to catch less, then we should catch less but where stocks are shown to be healthy, our fishermen should be allowed to catch more."
But Nick Howell, a former Newlyn Harbour commissioner, said there was widespread "disbelief" among fishermen that bureaucrats were getting the figures right.
"The practical pragmatic angle that fishermen take is that they see the changes happening on the ground," he added.
"A lot could be sorted out with some of the proposals for quota to be managed locally – people would feel as if they were managing their own farm."
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by Winstonsmith0
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 10:36PM
“@peter20113
. . . don't tell Captain Birdseye!
What about fish and chips - isn't that something to do with a seafood diet?”
by Peter20113
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 9:35PM
“The UK has never been a seafood nation”
by timplymouth
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 9:08PM
“Seriously Winston?”
by Winstonsmith0
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 6:28PM
“Well I won't be eating any fish caught in the tamar pretty soon.
It'll either be contaminated with toxins from the incinerator or come out of the water glowing and already cooked by the radiation!
Its all just about profits for bigger businesses anyway.”
by Chunder123
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 5:10PM
“I really do feel fishign is done more for profit rather than the necessity for food. FIshing is not great for the enviroment and we really need to live off the land. It isn't good to go hauling everything from the sea in giant nets. Extremly over the top. Much of it is wasted and thrown overboard if it doesn't meet standards and it can often end up just sitting on supermarket shelves not being consumed. YOu can survive without eating sea food.”
by MickBarb
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 4:43PM
“Quote-"a staggering £3 billion could be injected into a "bleeding" European economy"-unquote
Personally i don't give two hoots about the bleeding Euro economy.”
by Gulliver43
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 4:06PM
“At Ant - I would just like to raise the issue of the many trawlermen (my father being one) who have turned their backs on trawling due to the waste of life (fish and bird) that trawling with nets brings. These men are turning to more sustainable methods (rod and line, fish traps etc) at their own expense and are often facing a considerable drop in earnings as their net caught fish is sold as line caught, and line caught fish, whild sold in restaurants at a premimum doesn't actually sell for much at market. Rather than encourage these responsible fishermen, they are faced with more and more cuts on their quotas and are slowly being squeezed out of the market. Lets support these guys and this aincient industry which is dying a death.”
by timplymouth
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 2:59PM
“Leave fish in the sea, where they belong.”
by Gurnards_Head
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 2:18PM
“SlobberDan surely the best outcome for all concerned would equate to healthy fish stocks which also give hard working fishermen healthy bank balances that assist our Cornish economy because surely this would then benefit everyone.
Any person who has the courage to invest in an eye wateringly expensive modern fishing vessel and the quota to work it deserves to see a reasonable return for the hard work that they will have to put into a successful worthwhile career that produces valuable wholesome food.
Long term investment of the kind required to run a successful modern fishing business ensures that the stakeholders have a massive interest in the ongoing robust health of the very fish stocks that will be the only means to pay off their loans and feed their families.
This kind of sustainable success invariably ripples out into the local community producing huge benefits which is more than can be said for the increasing collection of counter productive eco warriors and enforcers hiding behind the burdensome quangos they serve.
What we do not need is more Brussels centric bureaurocracy when the locally based CFPO or SWFPO could easily manage our increasingly healthy fish stocks at a local level with the goodwill of all stakeholders.
Be aware that Natural England is a relatively new quango of the worst possible kind, a puppet of Brussels which needs to create a convienient niche to wedge itself into for which you and I and every taxpayer will pay dearly for for a long time to come.
You only have to look at the threat they are posing to the future well being of Falmouth Docks or the chaos that resulted from their arbitary Lyme Bay closure to see how little these misguided eco warriors care about local jobs and prosperity.
They are cynical enough to understand clearly that the more effect they have in the beginning by bigging up their inherently flawed agenda the safer their gold plated jobs and pensions will be in the longer term.”
by Ant__
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 2:15PM
“100,000 jobs created in the fishing industry - cloud cuckoo land.
These jobs would presumably be in the service sectors supported by the fishing industry and as such , must already exist to a large extent - just not here. There would have to be an absolutely massive hike in catch to support this figure - Our current 1,797 fishermen would no doubt strenuously strive to increase their catch rather than share it if a quota free for all was introduced - as would all our foreign neighbours. The market being what it is would come into play and the price of fish to the would drop - everyone would make less profit. Fish stocks would suffer - Fishermen seem to have a keen eye for the bottom line and sustainability is a hinderance to the short-termism they employ. Lets face it , the Fishing Industry PR machine bats above its weight when it comes to its importance to local economies compared to, for instance any of our large hospitals, tourism etc etc.
I just hate the human arrogance that suggests fish in the sea belong to us and are just a resource that are there for some of us to benefit from.”