The EU and Cape Verde have agreed to renew the current Sustainable Fishing Partnership Agreement (SFPA) protocol, which expires at the end of the year. The outcome of the negotiations is seen as a balanced deal, profitable to both parties.
European POs see challenging times ahead, as was made clear at the AGM of the European Association of Fish Producers Organisations (EAPO), held last week at Sopot in Poland and hosted by the organisation’s Polish membership.
Representatives of the NFFO and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federations recently joined forces for a lobby day in Parliament, ahead of key decisions on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and therefore the CFP, lobbying to underscore the importance of the decisions due to be taken for the UK fishing industry at national and local levels.
After long hours of discussion in Luxembourg, EU Fisheries Ministers reached an agreement on fishing opportunities for 2018 for the ten stocks in the Baltic Sea. The total allowable catches (TACs) were unanimously agreed in the framework of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which aims to have all stocks fished at sustainable levels by 2020.
Frictionless trade and access to EU markets is essential to the survival of the Welsh fishing industry, while non-tariff barriers could deliver a killer blow according to the National Assembly’s Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.
The news that NOPSEMA, the Australian Government’s oil and gas industry regulator, has not approved CGG’s application to conduct a marine seismic survey in eastern Bass Strait has welcomed by the South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association (SETFIA).
Vessel Monitoring has been in place for UK fishing vessels over 12 metres since 2013, but now DEFRA is launching a consultation on introducing VMS for all fishing vessels, potentially making monitoring also mandatory for the under-12 fleet with an Inshore (I-VMS) system.
An acoustic survey of the capelin stock carried out north of Iceland and south-west of Greenland during September has not returned results substantial enough for an initial quota to be allocated – although the Marine Research Institute has yet to finish processing the data.
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.
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.