A agreement to prevent unregulated commercial fishing in the Arctic high seas was signed at a landmark meeting of nations that between them represent close to 75% of global GDP, held at Ilulissat in Greenland.
MMC First Process has developed a brine freezing system for mackerel that halves energy consumption and produces mackerel that is better suited for further processing.
The UK-based New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association (NUTFA) is writing urgently to the UK government to highlight the concerns expressed of inshore fishermen along the Channel coast concerning the impact of some of the biggest trawlers in the world operating in the confined waters between the UK and France. The finger is pointed firmly at the Dutch pelagic operators, and the concern is that these large vessels could be catching bass that is not available to small-scale fishermen.
An important agreement has been signed between WWF-India and the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) to ensure that they work more collaboratively on behalf of the one-by-one skipjack tuna fishery in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, a tropical archipelago in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of Kerala.
According to French small-scale fishing group Plateforme Petite Pêche, there have been consistently poor catches for French inshore fishermen along the whole of the northern coast of France this year, with some giving up and taking their boats out of the water, or switching – if they can – to pollock or mackerel.
The ICES perception of the stock is contrary to that witnessed by fishermen on the fishing grounds, according to Ian Gatt, chief executive of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association, commenting on the news that ICES advises a cut in the 2019 mackerel catch.
Ministers from EU Member States and third countries have adopted an ambitious 10-year regional action plan for sustainable small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. This sets out detailed measures to ensure a sustainable use of fish stocks, while restoring long-term economic and social prosperity for small-scale fishers and coastal communities.
According to Ifremer, the Baie de Seine area has record scallop stocks this year, ready for the opening of the 2018-19 season. The stock in the zone within the 12-mile limit south of the Barfleur-Cap d’Antifer line is estimated to be 63,600 tonnes, compared to 48,600 tonnes in 2017.
The decision by ICES to advice a 42% reduction in mackerel quotas for next year has triggered an angry response from the Norwegian industry. The wider industry is unable to accept that this is a reasonable reduction considering the extent of mackerel distribution across the North Atlantic.
A strong, freshwater fishing industry is important for the many fish harvesters that depend on it for their livelihoods. The Government of Canada is taking steps to transform the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC).