An All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries webinar held last week was attended by a record number of attendees. Presented by an expert panel, and attended by interested MPs, Peers, and a range of stakeholders from the UK fishing industry, the event explored how regional decision-making was helping to improve fisheries management and the welfare of fishing communities across the country.
A panel representing a diverse range of fisheries initiatives presented case studies that explored the successes and challenges of local decision-making for UK fisheries management.
Leader of Plymouth City Council Tudor Evans actively engages with the city’s fishing community, and shared some positive experiences from this close collaboration. Plymouth City Council have supported an initiative to increase use of lifejackets and are working with the fishing industry on a plan to build a world-class centre for fishing.
‘We hope that the models we have created in Plymouth could be utilised by other committees and organisations across the country,’ he said.
‘Fisheries management can be highly dynamic, and regional decision-making has allowed us to respond quickly to changes in fishing effort and sectoral conflicts,’ said Tim Smith, Senior Environmental and Scientific Officer for the North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NEIFCA). ‘Local knowledge and industry research participation have been vital in addressing environmental concerns and the potential impacts of gear conflict.’
He attributes NEIFCA’s collaborative and consultative approach to helping Yorkshire’s inshore dredge scallop fishery to become sustainable and successful.
‘Management of the inshore Yorkshire dredge fishery has benefitted multiple fishery sectors and the coastal communities that rely on them. Through a collaborative and consultative approach NEIFCA has secured a sustainable scallop fishery that takes into account both the local environment and other sea users.,’he said, adding that the approach adopted by NEIFCA has been praised as an example of best practice in scallop dredge management.
‘Assessing and establishing ‘go fish’ areas that have been agreed on by all relevant parties increases stakeholder buy in and compliance, and is seen as preferable to more traditional management approaches,’ he said.
Considering whether localised successes could be replicated elsewhere around the UK coast, Chris Williams, Senior Programme Manager at the New Economic Foundation, cautioned; ‘future funding should consider the capacity of fishing organisations to apply for funds and ensure that they are given the support they need to apply effectively.‘
He spoke about working with Graham Doswell and the Eastbourne Quay Project: a fisher-led programme that has overcome challenges brought on by contractors going into administration and the effects of the pandemic. The new Eastbourne fishing quay has now entered the first phase of construction – developing the quay and its facilities for the benefit of the fishermen who use it.
‘The first phase of the project is being built, it has created local employment throughout the construction as this was a planning condition that local labour must be used. Once the facility comes on-line in March/April 2021 it will create 4 FTE job in processing, ice production, running the CIC and Quay as well as the on-site fishmongers. Value addition through local retail will also increase prices for the local fishing fleet,’ he said, commenting that local context matters and not every port with a fishing fleet needs the same type of infrastructure.
‘The fleets, fishery and local markets are always different so the investment needs are also different. Building a Community Economic Development plan and working with the local authority as well as the County Council and LEP have been very important to ensure the development meets the current needs and opportunities.,’ he said.
‘There are aspects of this project which are not replicable as they have been delivered by NEF and funded through a 3rd sector organisation. Future funding should consider the capacity of fishing organisations to apply for funds and ensure that they are given the support they need to apply effectively.’
Mike Simmonds, a Fisheries Network Coordinator who has worked at national and regional levels, spoke about how more ‘joined-up’ thinking could help streamline efforts between sectors and national and regional decision-makers for maximum effectiveness. He said that to make effective local decisions, every stage of the supply chain needs to be communicating effectively, and that local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships are best placed to determine local fishing industry needs.
APPG on Fisheries parliamentary member Peter Aldous MP shared insights into the work of the Renaissance of the East Anglian Fisheries (REAF), which – through support from all sectors – has developed the UK’s first regional fishing strategy. Their recommendations include investment in a regional fishing port, so it can expand its capacity to accommodate landings and vessel activity. He said that their success can provide a template for similar efforts elsewhere in the UK, but agreed with earlier presenters when he emphasised that bespoke evidence-gathering and regionally-relevant approaches are necessary to ensure success.
