While the main commercial fish species in the Mediterranean and Black Sea are still over-fished, pressure has reduced over past years, according to a report published by the FAO-GFCM, which also identifies needs to reduce by-catches and discards, and to provide small-scale fishing people with greater support.
This year’s December Council of Ministers during which TACs and quotas for the year are argued out in Brussels promises to be one of the most complex ever, as well as being the last one in which the UK participates as an EU member state. According to the NFFO, ministers face a number of unpalatable choices and trade-offs.
A change to the UK Government’s Fisheries Bill making it a legal obligation for ministers to pursue a better share of fishing rights has been welcomed by Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell, describing the development as ‘great news.’
Minister of fisheries Kristján Thór Júlíusson has allocated 14,305 tonnes of regional quotas around Iceland.
An independent survey by the NAFC Marine Centre UHI indicates a promising future for Shetland fisheries, locating record numbers of small haddock and increases in small cod and whiting populations. More than fifty tows were carried out this summer by NAFC’s research vessel to assess abundance of key stocks.
More than a hundred guests gathered at a public event on last week to find out more about what climate change could mean for Scottish fisheries. The key questions were, will changes in ocean temperatures drive a sea-change in marine fisheries? And what will it mean for the business and livelihoods that depend on them?
Established in 2012 on the eve of the newly reformed CFP, LIFE (Low Impact Fishers of Europe) was formed with the aim of representing European small-scale fishermen and 80% of vessels by number at a European level. Three years ago a branch was opened in Brussels, and now changes are taking place to the organisation’s structure.
Russia and the Argentina have struck an intergovernmental agreement on co-operation on fisheries and aquaculture, with the agreement signed during Vladimir Putin’s official visit to Buenos Aires.
Jacob van Urk joined the air force after leaving school, but found himself drawn back to the sea, spending time enjoying the freedom of the family’s sailing boat before returning to his fishing roots. Now in his mid-50s, he skippers Eurocutter Willem Jacob UK-158, landing catches to the auction in Urk.
Norway’s Institute of Marine Research has advised that the 2019 snow crab quota should be between 3500 and 5000 tonnes, and favours closure from 15th June to 15th September.