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“News Net”
January 2013
A Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year from all at ANIFPO
This ‘News Net’ is being drafted at 2am on Thursday, 20 December, as the Fisheries Council is just about to reach it’s climax, agreeing fishing opportunities for 2013. At this stage we don’t know what losses there will be for Irish Sea quotas next year, but these will be recorded later (below).
Discussions earlier tonight helped bring into focus where we have come from in the past 12 months. At the beginning of the December 2011 Fisheries Council the Irish Sea fleet was looking at a situation where a 20% cut in the prawn quota was on the cards, most of the days at sea available to the to the prawn and remnant of the whitefish fleets were at risk as the EC challenged the way the UK awarded effort allocations and the only way the fleet would have been allowed to fish for a reduced catch was if it fitted the Swedish Grid.
Many readers will recall when that Council ended it was rumoured the fleet had been ‘sold out’. Yes, it was true the prawn quota had not been cut and yes it was true the UK’s interpretation of the days at sea rules was confirmed, but at what cost? It was said that this ‘deal’ had been bought by agreeing a commitment to introduce the Swedish Grid by 1 July.
1 July came and went and there was no ‘Swedish Grid’. Rather we had gathered evidence to prove that the grid was impractical for use by our fleet. Furthermore by 18 December 2012 and the start of this year’s December Fisheries Council there was no mention of the grid.
True, there were hard issues in relation to use of the alternative ‘Seltra Panel’, BUT we maintained a 12 month prawn fishery, with adequate days at sea for the entire fleet in the Irish Sea and as we got to the start of this year’s Council we had a commitment from DARD that the fleet would not be restricted to the use of one single highly selective gear option.
At the same time nobody is underestimating the challenges trawler owners, skippers and crew have and will face in 2013 and the years ahead. At least we live to fight another day!
December 2012 Fisheries Council:
Against a background of more proposed cuts in Irish Sea quotas and days at sea for 2013, no one was looking forward to the annual crunch Fisheries Council. In advance of the negotiations ANIFPO had identified 4 priorities.
-
Stop any further cut in the days at sea - target achieved.
-
Secure a rollover with the Area 7 prawn quota - increase achieved.
-
Secure a rollover on the Irish Sea cod TAC - 25% cut.
-
Secure a rollover with the Irish Sea haddock TAC - 5% cut against a 25% proposed cut.
While the cod decision casts a shadow over the entire deal, in overall tonnage terms Northern Ireland will have more catching opportunities in 2013 than it did in 2012. Surely this is a better result than what it might have been? With the exception of cod ALL other quotas have been set at levels that cover what was caught this year.
Stock
2012 TAC
2013 Proposal
2013 TAC
7 Prawns
21,759
18,576
23,065
6 Prawns
16,650
16,650
19,647
7a Cod
380
285
285
7a Haddock
1,251
1,001
1,189
7a Whiting
89
71
80
7a Plaice
1,627
1,627
1,627
7a Sole
300
60
140
7a Herring
5,280
4,993
4,993
7 Anglers
30,677
24,542
29,144
6/7 Hake
30,900
20,860
30,900
Cod:
Whilst it’s economic importance to Northern Ireland’s fisheries maybe a shadow of what it used to be (and what it should be), cod remains an iconic species, or as commentators now describe it, “a choke species”. Over the last 13+ years cod has driven the development of most fisheries in the Irish Sea.
Having reviewed the most recent science on stock the European Commission’s own fisheries science advisory committee (STECF) recorded the following comments on the stock;
“STECF also reiterates the considerable problems with the assessment for this stock. STECF believes that the bias and uncertainty in the assessment are being exacerbated by the deterioration in availability and reliability of catch and effort data .......”
Therefore, it is all the more disappointing that the Commission forced through a 25% cut, which will exacerbate the problem identified by their own scientists.
Belfast Telegraph:
In July the Tele ran a week long series of articles focusing on the marine environment. These were very critical of the fishing industry. It was a result of this that ANIFPO approach the paper and invited their correspondents to spend a few days with the fishing industry in Kilkeel. The invitation was accepted and the result appeared in the editions of the Belfast Telegraph published on 15, 17 and 18 December.
For those who didn’t manage to see the articles (electronic and paper copies are available from the PO), the piece included in the ‘Comment’ section of the paper is repeated below.
A Perspective on Ulster’s Fishing Industry
The words ‘decline’, ‘historic’ and ‘legacy’ have often been used to describe Northern Ireland’s fishing industry. How do you judge decline? Is it on the number of trawlers based in Northern Ireland or on the basis of the number of people employed in the industry both at sea and onshore? No doubt based on these criteria the numbers have declined.
Yet in 2011 the value of wild caught fish and shellfish landed into Northern Ireland reached almost £27.5 million, the highest annual figure for some considerable time, with a similar figure landed by the Northern Ireland fleet in other parts of the UK, Ireland and Europe. This improvement resulted from welcomed increases in quayside prices for the catch, as well as additional landings of species such as mackerel and herring.
Improving quayside returns, combined with economic recession on land has in turn led to a significant number of new entrants to the industry. For the first time 2012 saw the delivery of a New Entrants Training Course and by year end over 700 statutory and non-statutory training courses will have been delivered to local fishermen. Major investments in both the fleet and processing sectors have continued. In fact, during the past 12 to 18 months the fishing industry has been one of the few sectors creating jobs in South Down.
Of course this good news is tempered by a myriad of challenges facing the fishing industry.
Sustainable fish stocks are key to an economically viable fishing industry. The work and indeed sacrifice put in by local fishermen in seeking to rebuild and stabilise fish stocks here in Northern Ireland has largely been ignored by the centralised fisheries bureaucracy in Brussels. This in the midst of naturally recurring environmental cycles. The saga with cod - what state is the Irish Sea stock in? - continues to be a major frustration. Our most important fishery - that for Dublin Bay Prawns- is stable. Irish Sea herring is at it’s highest level for 40 years. Inshore species such as crab and lobster need careful nurturing.
Next month’s annual round of quota negotiations and a plethora of related issues creates instability when what the industry wants most is multi-annual stability.
The initial limited hope offered by the reform of Europe’s Common Fisheries Policy may well be lost. Regional management, which would devolve much of the decision making process out of Brussels could be sacrificed to satisfy the egos of a few in the EU’s institutions.
Rising overhead costs, most notably with fuel is a constant threat. Wind conditions can play havoc with fishing plans - there are no bad weather or ‘single fisheries payments’ for fishermen. With quayside prices retreating in 2012, the onus is on the industry itself to maximise the value of the catch. It is a shame that at least one of the major retailers in Northern Ireland confide they do not stock even one locally caught and landed fishery product. We await answers from the others. At the same time our processors successfully secure export markets from Dublin to Dubai.
Increasing demands for the use of our seas, most recently by the offshore renewable energy sector presents challenges, but also opportunities. At the core of our ethos must be protection of the habitats on which we depend for our fish and shellfish stocks, as well as our fisheries for these stocks. Yet, the expertise and assets gifted on fishermen have already provided dividends as we diversify into working with these sectors.
Northern Ireland’s fishing industry is economically vital to our coastal communities. It is an industry that is proud of the renewable, sustainable and quality products it harvests from the Irish Sea and beyond. It is an industry with a future, but it is also an industry that has to carefully plan for the challenges and opportunities on the radar.
Some of the others to Watch in 2013!
Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy - land all/no discard rules.
Northern Ireland Marine Bill
Development of a chain of Marine Protected Areas in the Irish Sea and beyond.
Inshore Fisheries Management
Further development of Highly Selective Gears
February 2012
Swedish Grid Waffle
It is heartening to see and hear that Northern Ireland’s Fisheries Minister has more faith in the abilities of local fishermen than what some fishermen’s representatives have.
The cry from some has been, ‘The Swedish Grid has been hoisted upon us’. ‘It’ll be impossible to come with an alternative by 1 July, so we’ll be stuck with the Grid.’
Read what Minister O’Neill said in her Statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 16 January 2012.
“I was able to agree an objective with the local industry that, by July, our fleet would be fishing with gears that would enable them to be exempt from the effort control regime imposed by the cod plan. That means that the net must be capable of reducing the cod catch to below 1·5%. During the negotiations, that commitment was communicated to the Commission, and I have no doubt that it strengthened our position and enabled the Commission to be persuaded by our arguments.
This commitment does not mean fishing with the Swedish grid
,
but that option is available to anyone in the fleet who wants to use it.
Our industry dislikes that particular solution, because it considers it inappropriate to the vessels and to the geometry of the nets used in the Irish Sea prawn fisheries. It also has concerns about health and safety, storage of the device and loss of commercial catch. Industry representatives made those points very clearly during our meeting.”
“I am optimistic that the experience and ingenuity of local fishermen can be used to come up with the very best solution, which will not only contribute to the objectives of the cod plan but be suitable and easily used by our fleet.”
Following the statement, Willie Clarke MLA (South Down) asked the following question of the Minister.
“My question concerns selective gear and the Swedish grid. I have spoken to
skippers, and they are very concerned, as their vessels cannot be adapted to this particular gear. Will the Minister outline her thinking on the selective gear and, particularly, the Swedish grid?”
Minister O’Neill’s reply:
“Yes, absolutely.
In advance of the December Council meeting, the Commission was of the view that the Swedish grid should be imposed on our industry
,
but the industry is adamant that it will not work with the vessels that we have in our prawn fisheries. Therefore, we had to go to Brussels on 5 December and put that case strongly. We had to argue with the Commission that this is not the way to go and that we will not accept the grid being imposed on us. At a meeting prior to that, I agreed the way forward with the industry and the position that I was going to put to the Commission, which was that we would work towards a selective gear that will be acceptable to the local fishing industry and the Commission by July 2012.”
Note: By the end of October 2011, it was clear the Commission intended to impose a range of additional technical conservation measures, including the Swedish Grid on the prawn fishery in the Irish Sea. In addition, further cuts in days at sea would have left the fleet in 2012 with approximately half of the days it used in 2011. This fact seems to have been missed by some.
With regard to the 1 July 2012 date, the statement made by the UK at the December Fisheries Council reads as follows:
“For the Irish Sea the UK agrees as an
objective
that by 1 July 2012 the Nephrops fleet will fish with gears which will enable them to secure an exemption from the effort regime as laid down in Article 11 of the cod plan.”
“For other areas (North Sea, West of Scotland), fleets fishing with TR2 gears will
adopt
by 1 July 2012 similar measures when targeting Nephrops to achieve exemption from the cod plan for at least part of the year.”
There is a distinction between setting an objective to do something by 1 July and adopting by 1 July.
Comment:
The Minister said she was pleased with the outcome of the December Fisheries Council. We cannot share this description; relief would seem to be a more fitting description. The deal that was done AVOIDED the imposition of the Swedish Grid and secured additional and vital days at sea.
The objective remains to scrap the current Long Term Cod Recovery Plan and associated effort controls.
Proving there are Cod in the Irish Sea
Various proposals have been tabled designed to improve the understanding of the cod stock in the Irish Sea (or prove it’s abundance). There follows a copy of a letter sent to DARD in September 2011.
Dear John Speers (DARD Fisheries Director)
This is a follow up to the email sent to you on 17 August, proposing a sentinel fishery, which would be designed to assist address the problems we have with the Irish Sea cod assessment. It is also a gentle reminder in terms of the points we made during last Thursday afternoon’s discussion in Kilkeel.
As mentioned in my email, the latest episode of Channel 4‘s ‘Big Fish Fight’ included a section about a CEFAS project (Tom Catchepole), which is happening in the North Sea. This project is utilising 2 trawlers from North Shields to land everything they catch. The landing was then split into 3 parts: the 'quota' catch, which was sold on the market; undersize/unwanted catch, which was used as fish meal and the over quota commercial catch, which was given away to a local school - all very good on a small scale.
In practice this was a new idea, but the idea itself was not new. Five years ago we suggested a similar initiative for Northern Ireland and the Irish Sea in order to assist with filling the data gaps - and allow the fishermen to show just how much cod was in the Irish Sea, but the idea was regarded then as impractical and obviously was not pursued. In light of the CEFAS work is it time to revisit the idea in the context of Irish Sea fisheries, specifically cod?
In 2011 our cod quota is 5% of what it was in 1999 prior to the onset of cod recovery measures in the Irish Sea. Between 2003 and 2009 total fishing effort in the Irish Sea has declined by 50%. The fisheries science partnership (FSP) project involving one of our trawlers (Benaiah IV) has proved to be a disappointment as it fails to complete the original objective, which was to provide data on cod from commercial voyages. Instead the FSP work has turned into a mini-scientific cruise, apparently filling the gaps for the ‘Corystes‘ work. No wonder the results from the ‘Benaiah‘ mirror those of AFBI’s traditional assessments!
In brief, we propose to deploy a sentinel fleet (e.g. one whitefish trawler, one twin-rig prawn trawler and one single-rig prawn trawler; participating vessels would change on a weekly basis) to embark on an experimental fishery, where everything they catch is landed. As in the North Sea, only quota catch would be retained by the vessel for sale. Over quota fish could also be sold, with the income going to ‘trust fund’ to assist with the project costs and assist with the provision of additional fisheries science resources. If our fishermen whom I believe are correct and genuine regarding the abundance of cod (and the mismatch with scientific advice) wish to prove their point, then this or a variation on it might offer them the chance to prove their claims.
The difference between this and the current situation is that they wouldn't be doing everything they can to avoid cod, which has become a catch 22 for the industry in that the lack of landings/discards is regarded as evidence there are few cod remaining in the Irish Sea. The lack of landing data then become data gaps.
Working together with AFBI we have already proven are success in completely revising the estimates for cod discards from our fleet. I believe a project, such as the one outlined here would lead to similar success in revising the cod stock biomass in Area VIIa.
As I mentioned last Thursday, we should all take encouragement from the recent proposal regarding an in-year 33% increase for Celtic Sea cod (140%+ for 2012?), which has come about because of a review of the scientific assessment
I have no doubt there will be those who will be sceptical of such an approach, but it is clear that we need to think outside of the box in our attempts to address this issue. We simply cannot allow the current impasse between fishermen and scientists in respect of cod (and some other species) to continue. It is simply not good enough for our Fisheries Minister or anyone else to suggest that we can accept the science on the stock without debate. We must be more imaginative on this issue. If the idea is good enough for the North Sea, surely it (or a variation of it) is good enough for the Irish Sea?
Northern Ireland’s Top Ten
Data just released by DARD shows the value of all landings of fish/shellfish into Northern Ireland increased by nearly 25% in 2011, compared to 2010, while tonnage was slightly down from 23,902 Tonnes in 2010 to 23,601 Tonnes in 2011 (-1.25%)
Stock
2010 Value (& Position)
2011 value and Position
ALL SPECIES
£22,113,592.75
£27,484,056.93
Prawns
£10,839,009.17 (1)
£15,556,874.32 (1)
Mackerel
£2,503,283.09 (2)
£3,235,687.98 (2)
Herring
£1,820,929.73 (3)
£2,585,104.38 (3)
Queen Scallops
£1,242,180.22 (4)
£1,219,931.10 (4)
Scallops
£1,238, 094.98 (5)
£1,184,816.38 (5)
Horse Mackerel
£201,988.52 (n/a)
£504,397.02 (6)
Crabs (excl. Velvets)
£865,534.57 (5)
£500,123.34 (7)
Lobsters
£549,258.18 (7)
£438,725.36 (8)
Cod
£633,845.06 (6)
£345,566.08 (9)
Haddock
£448,940.53 (8)
£326,485.88 (10)
January 2012
Autumn Fisheries Negotiations and December Council
Towards the end of September 2011 the European Commission (EC) published their proposals for Total Allowable Catches and quotas for 2012. For the Irish Sea the proposals did not contain any good news, with deep cuts proposed for most quota species as follows:
Sole
-43%
Plaice
-25%
Cod. Zero TAC, with 1.5% by catch
Whiting. -25%
Haddock
-25%
Herring. -25%
Nephrops -19%
The EC claimed their proposals were based upon scientific the recommendations as published by ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Seas), into which fisheries scientists based in Belfast, Lowestoft and Galway feed assessments from the Irish Sea. As well as industry representatives, even local fisheries scientists disputed the EC's interpretation of some of the ICES advice (although local scientists would continue to suggest that cod in the Irish Sea are commercially extinct) and hence the annual debate about the EC's proposals, in advance of the December Fisheries Council began.
At the end of October the EC played their next card in the game.
As readers will know, the topic of discards really hit the news headlines this year mainly as a result of Channel 4's 'Big Fish Fight'. A UK (and then EU) wide e-petition prompted by the 'Big Fish Fight' gathered over 750,000 signatures and was delivered to the EU's Greek Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki. As a politician she reacted to the huge public interest in the matter and announced her intention to deal with the problem.
The EC asked their own committee of fisheries scientists, STECF (Social, Technical and Economic Committee on Fisheries) to make recommendations for fishing gear modifications that had been assessed and were available now, which would significantly reduce discards. Again, at the end of October STECF responded. Their recommendation for the Irish Sea was the Swedish Grid, which had been "successfully trialled” in the Irish Sea by the Republic and was being used by some of the prawn fleet there. While there was some mention of the gear trials (120mm panels) that had been successfully concluded by Northern Ireland, unlike the Swedish Grid these trials had never been submitted to STECF for assessment. It is also worth pointing out that STECF have never been given the results of the local discard studies that showed discard rates of cod to be very significantly below what has been the assumed figure of 80%, at around 1.5% to 4.5%.
As a result of this report the EC announced their intention to introduce emergency technical conservation measures in January 2012, which for the prawn fishery in the Irish Sea would be based upon the Swedish Gird. This was strongly opposed by this Organisation and of course the NFFO.
The third element of the EU's autumn fisheries negotiations was in respect of the cod recovery regulation and associated days at sea restrictions.
At the December 2010 EU Fisheries Council the UK delegation successfully argued for a review of the cod plan. During the summer EU fisheries scientists reviewed the plan and concluded it had not delivered the results envisaged. There was agreement that it should be replaced and that involvement from stakeholders (fishermen) was essential if any replacement was going to work. However, it soon became clear that because of the process involved to agree a replacement this would not be ready for 2012. Therefore the existing plan would be rolled over into next year, which for the Irish Sea meant further -25% cuts in the basic level of days at sea.
The UK objected to this situation and made it their Number One Priority to have any further days restrictions paused, until a replacement could be agreed. As the December Fisheries Council approached a growing number of countries began to support the UK line, although regretfully, the Republic of Ireland 'sat on the fence'.
It is suggested that the EC's next card was in response to the UK taking the lead in respect of pausing days at sea cuts.
A major element of the days at sea the Northern Ireland (and other UK) fleets can avail of come from what are known as Article 13 buy backs. Article 13 of the Long Term Cod Recovery Regulation permits Member States to introduce measures that will assist in cod avoidance. In exchange for introducing these measures, which include closed areas and larger mesh panels in nets, additional days at sea are added to the basic days. Many prawn trawler owners have also availed of the rule that permits 200 days per year, in exchange for catches of cod being maintained at less that 5% of the catch. The Republic of Ireland interpreted Article 13 some what differently. As a result they did not avail of any buy-back option/s. This led to the exhaustion of their prawn effort allocation in the Irish Sea towards the end of September this year. The only Irish trawlers permitted to keep fishing were those granted an exemption from days at sea. These were the vessels fitted with a Swedish Grid. In 2009 during limited trials on the 'Mater Dei' this grid had been shown to catch very few if any cod.
Since the first year of cod recovery days at sea and associated buy backs, the UK like other Member States have been required to submit details of their Article 13 effort buy backs to the EC. However, the EC did not respond to the UK on any of the buy backs until earlier in the autumn. Their response was to say they disagreed with the amount of extra days the UK was awarding to it's fleets. In other words the UK was giving trawlers, including the prawn fleet in the Irish Sea too many days. UK Fisheries Administration promised a robust approach to the the EC's position.
The EC's next move was to publish an "Implementing Regulation", which detailed the penalties it would apply to the UK for awarding too many days. For the UK's Irish Sea prawn fleet the penalty amounted to 13% of the effort pot.
Overall, with a 25% cut on days in the pipeline for 2012, plus a 13% penalty, plus the reassessment of the Article 13 days for next year, the total would have been equivalent to an almost 50% cut in our prawn fleet's days at sea in 2012. We would have ended up with approximately half of the days at sea forecast to be used this year.
Some of this had been forecast to happen as long ago as August/September 2010 and it was because of this forecast that ANIFPO pushed for further gear trials to be done. The goal was to look for gear modifications that could primarily reduce discards. Furthermore, in the absence of any positive reassessment by ICES of Irish Sea cod, it was suggested on several occasions that come 2012 the EC would seek to impose more extreme measures upon Irish Sea fisheries, in their on going attempts to "recover" cod. As mentioned earlier, the Swedish Grid was the only device that had been shown to reduce cod catches to a minimum, so the challenge was to find an equivalent device/modification that was practical to our fleet and proven to work in the Irish Sea. At the same time arguments were ongoing that fisheries scientists were severely underestimating the amount of cod in the Irish Sea.
Originally, an application for European Fisheries Fund assistance was prepared by Dr. Richard Briggs (AFBI) in the autumn of 2010. It was envisaged that a range of Northern Ireland trawlers would be chartered to conduct trials on a grid device (if for no other reason to provide evidence that it didn't work), as well as other modifications. Following Dr. Briggs' retirement from AFBI earlier this year, the application was withdrawn and given to Seafish to resubmit. This happened over the summer and eventually after a long delay the application was approved for funding on 9 November 2011.
In advance of last week's Fisheries Council emergency meetings were held between the UK's Fisheries Ministers and the EC regarding the effort penalties. The result was the EC withdrew their 'Implementing Regulation' for further discussion with the UK on the figures, but with the intention of resubmitting it during January.
On Tuesday, 13 December both local POs were invited to meet with Northern Ireland's Fisheries Minister Michelle O'Neill MLA for consultation on what lay ahead during the Fisheries Council. The Minister advised that the EC had signaled it would look favorably on any proposal from the local fleet to implement measures designed to reduce the catch of cod to a minimum. Both PO's expressed their opposition to the Swedish Grid, pointing out a number of issues with the grid in respect of deployment on local trawlers, as well as conditions on the fishing grounds where it was expected the Swedish Grid would prove inoperable. However, both POs agreed with the Minister writing to the UK Minister Richard Benyon MP, for onward transmission to the Commission, to advise that the fleet was willing to trial and begin to implement measures that delivered an equivalent result to the Swedish Grid by 1 July 2012. A copy of the letter is enclosed with this 'News Net' (below).
By Tuesday night rumours had started to circulate in Scotland and England that Northern Ireland had 'surrendered' to the Swedish Grid. These rumours were of course wrong and ANIFPO sent an email to DARD that detailed what had been agreed at the meeting on Tuesday. DARD and others accepted this email as an accurate reflection of what had been discussed and agreed at the meeting. This email is included at the bottom of Michelle O'Neill's letter to Richard Benyon (below).
The EU's December Fisheries Council commenced on Thursday (15 December) morning of last week. Between then and 4am on Saturday morning, when the Council ended ANIFPO/NFFO representatives who were in Brussels had several meetings with the UK's Fisheries Ministers, officials and representatives from other organisations in the UK, Ireland and other parts of Europe. During these meetings ANIFPO reiterated to UK Ministers and industry representatives that Northern Ireland had not agreed to the introduction of the Swedish Grid in our prawn fishery.
As the Council progressed the usual rumour mill got going. However, from the first meeting between the UK and EC it was clear the commitment contained in Michelle O'Neill's letter had been well received by Commissioner Damanaki. The industry from other parts of the UK were encouraged to adopt a similar line and in the most part they did, although there was some confusion regarding the Scottish position.
As a result it seemed that by late Friday afternoon positive progress had been made in terms of pausing any further reduction in days at sea and getting the EC to agree to the UK's interpretation of the Article 13 effort buy-backs. The outstanding issues were the quota figures. In a final meeting with UK Fisheries Ministers it was ANIFPO who in no uncertain terms told the Ministers not to come back with any reduction in the Area 7 Nephrop TAC. Other interventions were made on the prawn issue, including a midnight telephone call from Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson MLA to Richard Benyon. At 3:30am on Saturday, Minister O'Neill's special advisor telephoned to say that a rollover of the TAC had been secured.
UK Fisheries Ministers then met with the industry at 4am, when it was announced that at the last moment the hoped for pause in effort reductions had been lost. This was blamed on an EC legal opinion that suggested that any pause in a Regulation could only be agreed if all 27 EU Member States voted for it. In this case it was known that not all Member States would vote for it. (Baltic states would vote against because of decisions taken against their wishes at an earlier Fisheries Council.) However, the EC had still agreed to the UK's interpretation of the Article 13 buy backs, so the threat of penalties was dropped.
In advance of the Council the UK had identified a range of priorities. The first one was to pause any further cut in days. Another one was to secure a rollover of the Area 7 nephrop TAC. Because of it's value within UK fisheries, Irish Sea herring was once again not a priority. It is also recognised that as with any negotiation the EC's September quota proposals were at one extreme. The results can be summarised as follows.
* Irish Sea days at sea is cut by 25% for 2012, but the threat of additional penalties is removed. Furthermore, because the UK's interpretation of Article 13 effort buy-backs has been agreed by the EC all derogations should remain, including 200 days at sea in 2012 for those TR2 (prawn vessels) that keep their catch of cod below 5%.
* Gear trials will commence as soon as possible in the New Year. The challenge is to identify gear modifications/devices that in terms of cod catches can deliver the same results (less that 1.5% cod capture) as a Swedish Grid by 1 July 2012. Those vessels achieving this goal will be exempted from days at sea.
* Sole
a 16% cut in the UK quota (as opposed to a 43% cut)
* Plaice
a rollover of of the TAC/UK Quota (as opposed to a 25% cut)
* Cod
a 25% cut in the UK quota (as opposed to a Zero catch - 6 of one, half a dozen...)
* Whiting
a 25% cut in the UK quota (as proposed)
* Haddock a 5% cut in the TAC (as opposed to a 25% cut)
* Herring. a 10% cut in the TAC (as opposed to a 25% cut)
* Nephrops a rollover of the TAC (as opposed to a 19% cut)
* With herring there is agreement within the UK to fast track a reassessment of the scientific advice, aiming for a mid-year increase in the TAC to reflect the increased stock size, before the 2012 season begins.
* On cod, ideas for a sentinel fishery are being slowly progressed by DARD and will be the subject of industry consultation.
Securing a rollover of the Nephrop TAC is good news, as is removing the threat of any days at sea penalties. The cut in the Herring TAC is extremely disappointing and the pressure must be kept on DARD to deliver a mid-year TAC increase. Importantly, we have avoided the imposition of Swedish Grids (See below the copy of Statement 5, made by the UK at the Council - there is no commitment to introducing Swedish Grids.) The challenge is finding an alternative.
Finally, thanks are due to the NI Fisheries Minister, Michelle O’Neill MLA, First Minister Peter Robinson MLA, Diane Dodds MEP, Margaret Ritchie MP, Jim Shannon MP and Ian Paisley MP for supporting the industry throughout 2011, in the run up to and during the Fisheries Council.
Email to John Speers (DARD Fisheries Director) following meeting with NI Fisheries Minister, Michelle O’Neill MLA.
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Dear John,
For the avoidance of any ambiguity, I have set out below my note of this afternoon's meeting with Minister O'Neill in Parliament Buildings, Stormont.
1.
It was noted that in November 2008, the Northern Ireland Minister who attended the EU Fisheries Council at which the Long Term Cod Recovery Plan (1342/2008) was agreed had been the only UK Minister to express disapproval of the new Regulation.
2.
The importance of maintaining a united UK stance at this week's EU Fisheries Council was agreed, as was the importance of maintaining a common approach with the Republic of Ireland.
3.
It was further agreed that the UK's number one priority for the Council was pausing any further implementation of the Cod Regulation. It was noted there were encouraging signs of support for this stance from amongst others the Republic of Ireland.
4.
Industry expressed frustration with the lack of progress in having STECF assess (i) previous Irish Sea TR2 gear trials (120mm square mesh panels), which had resulted in significant discard reductions (of both haddock and whiting) and (ii) AFBI's extensive Irish Sea onboard observer programme, which had shown discards of cod to be significantly below assumed figures (around 1.5% to 4.5%). It was agreed these developments should comprise an important component of any presentation to the EC/STECF in respect of concrete initiatives taken by the Northern Ireland fleet to reduce cod by-catch and discards (note 6).
5.
Industry expressed further frustration at the delay there had been in approving the next round of TR2 gear trials, which had originally been tabled in autumn 2010, but noted this had been passed for EFF funding during November 2011.
6.
Industry agreed that in complimenting a pause to further implementation of the Cod Recovery Regulation it was willing to seek and adopt from 1 July 2012 practical and proven TR2 gear modifications, designed to reduce cod catches below 1.5%, as well as discards (note 4) and therefore exempt Northern Ireland's TR2 fleet from cod related effort restrictions.
7.
Industry expressed it's strong opposition to the imposition of what are known as 'Swedish Grids' upon the Irish Sea TR2 fleet. Issues regarding the compatibility of the grid with smaller Northern Irish trawlers (important safety concerns), as well as specific conditions in the Irish Sea fishery were highlighted. The Minister raised the issue of the modified grid being trialled in Scotland, which permitted a by-catch of monkfish, amongst other species. It was agreed this idea was among several proposals that should be trialled in the Irish Sea as early as possible in the New Year. The aim of these trials would be to identify options that were equivalent to the 'Swedish Grid' (in terms of selectivity), but that were both practical for local trawlers to operate and suited conditions/the environment in the Irish Sea.
8.
Again, industry highlighted the practical difficulties introducing gear modifications. Such modifications could not be introduced overnight.
9.
Industry requested that DARD share a copy of the 'statement' they would release to the EC following today's discussions.
10.
Finally, DARD were encouraged to urgently respond to industry proposals for a sentinel cod fishery in the Irish Sea, designed to fill the significant data gaps on the stock.
I am circulating this to a range of interested parties.
Kind regards,
Alan
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