Report on Marine Scotland’s Programme of Regional Fishing Industry Assemblies held in 2014 Background 1. In February 2014 Marine Scotland launched a programme of Regional Fishing Industry Assemblies as part of the Scottish Government’s continuing policy of improving engagement with the fishing industry on a local and national level. 2. The aims of the assemblies were two-fold: i. to seek views on issues that will have a major influence on the future prosperity of the Scottish seafood sector, in particular: the Common Fisheries Policy and implementation of the landing obligation access to quota for active fishermen encouraging new entrants into the industry fishing and the shared marine environment ii. to report back on the actions being taken to address some of the key points raised during the previous year’s Quayside Conversations events 3. Seven assemblies were held around the Scottish coast, beginning with Kirkwall and Lerwick in March, continuing with Benbecula, Glasgow and Peterhead during April, before finishing with Ullapool and Anstruther in June/July. 4. Over 130 people – mostly local skippers and other interested parties – were able to attend. As with the Quayside Conversations, the numbers that attended each assembly were dependent on a variety of factors, including the weather and whether the fleet was at sea. 5. Each assembly involved a wide-ranging discussion with Marine Scotland officials, covering issues of national importance as well as those with a more local focus, that were on people’s minds around the coast. 6. This report provides a snapshot of the topics that were raised at each assembly, and an update on the Scottish Government’s position on those issues that have proved to be of common concern to fishermen across Scotland. 1 Assemblies’ Recap 7. Orkney (March 14 / Kirkwall & St Ola Community Centre, Kirkwall) Creel Support Fund / Hardship Fund - Discard Ban - Funding - Gear Conflict - Handline Mackerel - Independence - Licensing Review - New Entrants - Quota Consultation - Criticisms that Hardship Fund payments had gone to companies instead of single-handed fishermen, and that the £20,000 gross fishing income threshold to apply to the Creel Support Fund was unfair. Concerns as to how the discard ban will work, with the worry that it could affect the survivability of the fleet if it is not implemented correctly. Criticism of restrictive EU State Aid rules; that no money is available to modernise an ageing fleet; and the difficulty of getting credit for new vessels. Problems with the lack of evidence for prosecutions; scope for changing legislation; and that gear was being towed due to poor communication between fishermen. Criticism of the limited mackerel quota available to Orkney, and also the recent international quota agreement with the Faroe Islands. How Scotland would negotiate its quota allocation with EU; concerns that quota could be given up to gain entry; how Scotland could operate outside the EU. Concern that combining licence categories could lead to a reduction in the number of fishing opportunities available to Orkney fishermen. Concerns for the future of the industry with a lack of new entrants; that costs are too high for young fishermen to buy their own vessel etc, with it being easier for them to work offshore instead. Discussion of how the current system has affected Orkney, such as losing entitlements due to the lack of a track record, difficulties in leasing quota, and the need for change. 8. Shetland (March 21 / Shetland Museum, Lerwick) EU / Faroes Handline Mackerel NAFC Marine Centre Disapproval of mackerel agreement and how it was negotiated by the EC; concerns that allowing the - Faroese back into EU markets would lead to reduced prices; and concern about how monitoring would be carried out. Concerns that consultation was politically motivated; - criticisms that industry input was not sought, and that proposals did not consider both sides of the issue. High opinion of the Centre’s work and the role it plays - in the scallop fishery etc, but worries for its long term funding and how this could affect its capabilities. 2 New Entrants Quota Consultation Highlighting of the local barriers to entry: difficulties - paying apprentices, older fishermen not retiring, and the limited scope for inshore fishing in Shetland. Concern at how changes to allocations could affect the industry – those who had invested, small boat owners, new entrants etc; criticism that the moratorium could halt quota transfers from England. 9. Western Isles (April 4 / Dark Island Hotel, Benbecula) Aquaculture - Cable Installations - Creel Limits - Discard Ban - Licensing Review - Lobsters - Local Fisheries - Marine Protected Areas - New Entrants - Scallops - Concern that shellfish recruitment is declining in areas around fish farms due to the chemicals being used, with a call for new developments to be based onshore. Criticism that fishermen are not being given enough notice to move their gear by companies laying fibreoptic cables, who are now carrying out sonar surveys in areas with high concentrations of static gear. Whether limits on creel numbers could be introduced on a local basis, similar to the Northumberland IFCA. Whether quota could be made available for by-catch species that are currently discarded, such as spurdog. Concerns that the consultation’s proposals could affect fishing communities in the Outer Hebrides, and lead to an increase in gear conflict. Discussion on increasing the minimum landing size for lobster in the Outer Hebrides and possible difficulties, e.g. if the landing size is different in other areas. Discussion on studying viability of bluefin tuna and razor fish stocks for locally-managed fisheries; and a lack of quota available for skate and monkfish. Concerns about dredging being prohibited in areas with stone reefs, as vessels are unlikely to stray from scallop beds into reefs that would damage their gear. Whether EMFF funding could be used to provide assistance for new entrants, similar to a scheme currently running in the Outer Hebrides. Highlighting of current issues, e.g. offshore vessels using excess dredges within inshore waters, and the need for new legislation and better enforcement. 10. South West (April 11 / Mercure Hotel, Glasgow) Discard Ban Hardship Fund Discussion of the survivability of nephrops and the limits of potential increases in selectivity; concern for how low/zero quota species will be handled, in particular skate and spurdog. Concerns about how the scheme was administered, with request for assistance for the scallop sector. 3 Independence - Licensing Review - Marine Protected Areas - Razor Fish - Uncertainty about what approach an independent Scotland would take towards managing quota, how it would establish its share of quota from the UK, and the position of quota that has already left the country. Concerns about the proposals to withdraw latent scallop entitlements: that they would remove flexibility, were being driven by scallopers out of desire for profit rather than conserving stocks, and that vessels would begin scalloping again to retain their entitlement. Scepticism of the quality of the scientific advice being used to propose areas for MPA status, in particular the South Arran Nature Conservation MPA, where protected features are still present despite 50-60 years of dredge fishing. Criticism of the illegality of electrofishing, suggesting that it was a safe fishing method and less damaging to the environment than suction dredging. 11. North East (April 25 / Buchan Braes Hotel, Peterhead) Discard Ban - Foreign Vessels - Funding - Independence - Licensing Review - New Entrants - Quota Consultation - Criticism that the industry had not been properly consulted before the landing obligation was agreed; fears that it will affect the survivability of the fleet; and questions on what will happen if the ban does not work. Concern that a number of foreign vessels are not abiding by the same rules as Scottish vessels when operating in Scottish waters. Criticism of the percentage of UK EFF funding that Scotland receives, relative to the size of its sea area and industry. Questions on how an independent Scotland’s share of EU quota would be determined; if EU membership could be guaranteed for an independent Scotland and the effect on the industry if an independent Scotland were not to join; and what would happen to UK-wide bodies, e.g. the Maritime Coastguard Agency. Question on whether proposals to withdraw latent scallop entitlements would be implemented. Question on where quota will come from to support new entrants. Concerns about the effect the consultation is having on the stability of investments in the FQA system; and what was being done to support investors buying in quota units from outside Scotland. 4 12. North West (June 19 / Macphail Centre, Ullapool) IFGs Marine Protected Areas Prawns Concern about the lack of progress with the IFGs; and - that including the Mull area has made the North West IFG too large, making attending meetings etc difficult. An observation that the continuing closure of the Lochs Duich, Long & Alsh Special Area of Conservation to mobile gear highlighted a lack of reliable information on fishing activities in the area, and how this could be rectified in the future to avoid further constraints. Concern at the low prices mobile and static gear fishermen are getting for prawns, with landings from - remote locations proving difficult to market. Suggestion that local West Coast processing of prawns could be viable. 13. South East (July 4 / Scottish Fisheries Museum, Anstruther) Creel Support Fund - Days At Sea - Discard Ban - E-Log Books - Handline Mackerel - Licensing Review - Quota Consultation - Criticism at money going to Seafood Scotland for market development work, instead of being used to increase the amount of direct support payments; and at how the funding was distributed to fishermen. Recognition of the exemptions from Days At Sea controls secured for 17 vessels in the Firth of Forth; and concern about the ability to access different fishing areas, such as the West Coast. Concern for the survivability of small nephrops and the possible safety issues for small boats if they have to retain their whole catch on-board. Problems encountered with poor reception in the Firth of Forth and the suppliers not being available to help resolve technical issues. Question of whether there were plans to ‘top-slice’ the quota of other species. Complaint that part-time fishermen with 10mu vessels can now fish for mackerel but that full-time >10m vessel owners cannot due to the local PO not having quota. Concerns that latent scallop entitlements could be withdrawn, and that this would reduce the number of fishing opportunities open to inshore vessels. Complaint from a vessel owner that the moratorium was preventing him from selling his vessel to a buyer in England. 5 Scottish Government Update 14. Creel Support Fund The Scottish Creel Support Fund was established to provide financial assistance to the creel sector, which had suffered difficulties as a result of the exceptional weather of winter 2012-13 causing a considerable loss of fishing gear and a significant drop in catches. The Scottish Government made funding available for direct payments to fishermen, with 153 being successful in applying for an award. Each one received a £2,000 payment, for a total of £306,000. The criteria applied throughout the application process were designed to ensure that the funding benefitted those full-time fishermen who had experienced the greatest financial hardship. The Government also made £100,000 available to support the development of new and existing markets for creel-caught produce. This work is being done in partnership with Seafood Scotland, and a working group representing creel catchers and processors has been set up to decide on the direction of this work. 15. Discard Ban Marine Scotland has been working closely with the pelagic sector on delivery of the pelagic landing obligation next year and will be meeting with the pelagic fleet before the end of the calendar year to clarify aspects of implementation. Marine Scotland is also working with the industry to develop its approach to the demersal landing obligation. Through the Scottish Discards Steering Group (SDSG) we have circulated the work programme for developing the regional discard plans for the North Sea and north West Waters. This provides the industry with the timescales for providing information on supporting exemptions and derogations from the demersal landing obligation. We are now working with the Scottish Industry Discards Initiative to develop our approach to implementation from 2016. 16. Funding The new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) in Scotland is due to launch in early 2015. The fund, which benefits from an increased share of the UK allocation, will support the industry to deal with the impact of the CFP reform. Support will be available throughout all sectors, with actions principally focusing on the discard ban, both at the point of capture and at the point of landing. Where EU State Aid rules can restrict some activity which distorts the European single market, actions funded under the EMFF, such as support to the existing fleet, are exempt from these state aid restrictions as long as they comply with EMFF rules. Support will also extend to new entrants to the fishing sector if they meet agreed eligibility criteria, as well as wider vocational and safety training. 17. Gear Conflict The Scottish Government is keen to promote best practice for inshore fisheries and tackle long standing issues such as gear conflict where they exist. Gear conflict is not widespread in Scottish waters, but is a complex long-standing 6 problem with no easy solution, and one that can have a significant impact on the viability of individual businesses. Deliberate acts of gear vandalism are unacceptable. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, established a Government Taskforce in November 2013 to examine gear conflict, how processes might be improved to prevent conflict from occurring in the first place, and how to deal with any instances more effectively. The Taskforce made a number of recommendations to Ministers in July 2014, that were subsequently discussed with the Inshore Fisheries Management and Conservation Group (IFMAC) and published. A full Consultation on measures to tackle gear conflict in Scottish inshore waters will be launched in early November 2014. 18. Handline Mackerel For the 2014 season, and following Ministerial decisions announced at the end of March after consultation, initial allocations of 1,000 tonnes of North Sea mackerel and 325 tonnes of western mackerel were made to Scottish 10 metre and under groups. For the North Sea, this represented an additional 700 tonnes of quota which would normally have been allocated to Producer Organisations. For the West Coast, an additional 300 tonnes was assigned over and above what would otherwise have been allocated. In co-ordination with IFGs, catch limits were set, adjusted when necessary, and the fisheries were opened from early June (the western fishery had been open since the start of the year). For a variety of reasons – primarily weather-related – the season overall has been poor, although there appears to have been a reasonable late fishery in Shetland. Recorded landings of the North Sea stock have struggled to reach 300 tonnes (an uptake of just 30% of this year’s allocation), while landings of western mackerel are unlikely to exceed 20 tonnes. For these reasons, and following consultation with relevant IFGs, quota managers in Marine Scotland reallocated back to pelagic licence holders/Producer Organisations 476 tonnes of North Sea mackerel and 275 tonnes of western mackerel in mid-September. 19. Licensing Review The Scottish Government launched a consultation to see what could be done to simplify the rules around fishing vessel licensing. The consultation was shaped by the Scottish Licensing Review Working Group (SLRWG), a joint government and industry group. Its proposals were designed to provide greater flexibility and to be less burdensome within the overall context of managing fisheries sustainably. Twenty four formal responses were received, all of which were considered and analysed. The ‘Scottish Government Response Document’ confirming the outcome of the consultation can be found here: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/Licensing/FVLS/response. 7 20. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Prior to the designation of 30 MPAs in July 2014, Scottish Ministers commissioned a review of the scientific advice received, and this supported the recommendations of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Scottish Natural Heritage. For fisheries management in MPAs, we are identifying where fishing activities are likely to impede the achievement of conservation objectives. Where this is the case, we will work with those who undertake these activities and others to design measures that will allow the conservation objectives to be achieved whilst minimising any socio-economic impacts. Management in relation to these features is required but in most cases not across the entire MPA. There will be a two year programme of development and implementation of management measures involving full engagement with the industry, and where statutory provisions are required – Marine Conservation Orders, Marine Management Schemes, or orders under the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984 – there will be a formal consultation period. 21. New Entrants The impact of a highly competitive labour market continues to be of particular concern to many traditional fishing areas and communities. The Scottish Government has worked closely with the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation in establishing a modern apprentice scheme for commercial fisheries and continues to provide funding through the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) towards Seafish’s training programme, with significant awards supporting New Entrant training and the under 16.5 metre Skippers Certificate course. EFF has also provided 15 individual applicants with direct grants totalling over £332,000 to become first time vessel owners or shareholders. The Scottish Government is considering how it might further incentivise potential new entrants, including through the current consultation on Scottish fish quotas. Further financial support to first time owners will be considered within the provisions of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, the successor programme to EFF, which will launch in 2015. Marine Scotland has recently published ‘An Assessment of the Conditions Affecting Entry into the Scottish Fishing Industry and Potential Policy Responses’. New entry into the Scottish fishing industry is commonly perceived as a selfevident necessity for the long-term prosperity of the sector and its absence a signal for government intervention. The remit of this paper is to explore whether prohibitive conditions exist that prevent new, young workers from entering into the Scottish fishing industry. The report can be found here: www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/09/1847/0. 22. Prawn and White Fish Hardship Fund The primary purpose of the Aid to Adapt Action Plan Hardship Fund was to help alleviate short term financial hardship caused by the dramatic fall in the availability of prawns in 2013. 8 The Fisheries Management and Conservation Group agreed in January 2014 to provide payments that offered applying vessels a minimum net profit of £17,000, subject to EU State Aid rules that limit payments to individual applicants to £24,714. One hundred and thirty seven awards were made from the Hardship Fund, totalling nearly £2.4 million. Payments ranged from £500 up to the £24,714 maximum. 23. Quota Consultation The Scottish Government announced plans to conduct a public consultation on the allocation of Scottish fish quota on 28 January 2014. Effective from that date, the Government also announced a moratorium on the permanent transfer of quota allocation units out of Scotland. The Scottish Government published its consultation paper on the future allocation of Scottish fish quotas on 26 June 2014, and the extended consultation period is due to close on 28 November 2014 The consultation is about how the Scottish Government should allocate the fish quota that is made available to Scotland. We are holding a consultation now because fishermen have raised concerns about the present system of allocation: some have complained that the present system has encouraged trading of quota and its concentration in fewer hands, resulting in increased quota leasing costs for active fishermen. The high cost of accessing quota makes it very difficult for new fishermen to get started in the industry. The Government believes that quotas must be managed in the common interest, and wishes to encourage quotas to be held by those who can fish them. This consultation considers if the system needs to change to better pursue these aims and the Government’s wider policy objectives. There are essentially three options: keep the status quo make changes to the current system to try to achieve more of the Government’s policy objectives move to a new system The Government has an open mind about which option to pursue, but wants to make sure that the quota allocation system pursues its objectives effectively. Scottish Ministers will consider carefully the responses to this consultation before announcing their decisions, likely to be sometime in the first half of 2015. Sea Fisheries Policy Division Marine Scotland November 2014 9
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