Small fleet doing well
The state of the Belgian fleet is unique, with a small fleet under the Belgian flag that has dropped to only 65 fishing vessels, plus seven currently dormant licenses at different capacity levels.
The state of the Belgian fleet is unique, with a small fleet under the Belgian flag that has dropped to only 65 fishing vessels, plus seven currently dormant licenses at different capacity levels.
After months of political wrangling since elections were held back in October, a new right-of-centre government takes over in Iceland today.
A strongly-worded position paper published by the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) Platform has come out firmly against Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) as an integral component of EU fisheries policies and management, which LIFE says have a disproportionately negative impact on small scale coastal fishing communities.
Bulgarian fishermen finally lost patience trying to forge a dialogue with the authorities and yesterday blockaded the channel leading to the Black Sea port of Varna, with more than 50 vessels taking part. They claim their next step will be to take their grievances to the EU Commission.
Galicia’s minister of maritime affairs Rosa Quintana has presided over the inauguration ceremony of the new director general of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Technological Innovation.
The Black Sea Sunrise fishermen’s association which represents fishermen in Bulgaria has delivered stinging criticism directed at the country’s authorities responsible for managing fisheries.
Iceland’s National Association of Small Boat Owners (NASBO) has pushed hard for the coastal fishing scheme that was implemented in 2009 to be given more flexibility, and claims that following elections earlier this year, there is a groundswell of support for this.
Analysis by Bloomberg of the costs of wind and solar power across 58 economies has put the two on the same level, a finding that has been welcomed by Johan Nooitgedagt of Dutch fishermen’s association De Nederlandse Vissersbond.
Iceland’s National Association of Small Boat Owners (NASBO) has questioned the authorities on its management of blue ling, which was not a quota species until the 2013-14 quota year, asking why advice has been for significantly higher amounts than have been landed, while management has not been effective in rebuilding this stock.
Fisheries officers in Western Australia have been busy in the days leading up to Christmas this year, focusing on illegal catches of abalone and rock lobster.