NFFO YEARBOOK 2023

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Yearbook & Diary

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Cover photo courtesy of Seafish

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After a life at sea it is often a struggle for elderly merchant seafarers, fishermen and their dependants - particularly the families of those lost at sea, the disabled and widowed. The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society is here to help them rebuild their lives. Every year we give over £1M in grants to help those in dif culty and distress. Please help us to rebuild shattered lives with a legacy or donation. If anyone you know needs our support, be sure to put them in touch with us.

available

President

of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations

FISHING AT THE CROSSROADS

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the 2023 NFFO yearbook and wish our members and supporters a very happy New Year.

In quick succession our industry has had to deal with the Covid lockdown, spiralling fuel costs, the spatial squeeze mainly caused by the rapid expansion of offshore wind and marine protected areas, and the fallout the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. All these represent successive body-blows to our industry.

It was all supposed to be so different. Our industry has fallen from Brexit poster child, to whipping-boy, with breath-taking speed.

I am certain that no one within our membership needs convincing that in these circumstances, standing united and speaking with a united voice is essential if we are not to be swept aside by these giant political forces.

Continued on page 22

We have some important things going for us, however. People need to eat, and food security is the strongest card that we have to play. We have a strong vigorous organisation working on our behalf. We have friends and allies in high and low places – who support our work in a myriad of ways. Careful husbandry and hard work by our services team mean that we are on a sound financial footing. Above all we have a committed Executive Committee which provides active guidance and advice on all aspects of Federation policy – and I would like to pay particular tribute to their efforts

I am very proud to have served first as NFFO Chairman and then President over the last four years, and as I enter my final year as President, I can see that we need to face up to the challenges ahead.

Above all, we need a government that is on our side – the side of the fishing industry. We need to counter the disinformation that plagues our sector. We need to fight for our fishing grounds. Above all, we need to fight for realism at a time that misinformation and superficiality are rife.

Fishing is complicated. It seems to be located at the crossroads of many political crosscurrents: green politics, devolution, Europe and post-Europe, carbon emissions, food security. Dealing with these often contradictory currents requires trade-offs, and that means that we have to fight our corner.

I am sure we can do it. We have no alternative but to try.

I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our long serving Chief Executive Barrie Deas who will be retiring in April this year after 38 years of service. It is inarguable that Barrie has been an excellent leader of the Federation through tumultuous and challenging times. His commitment and contribution to the Federation and our membership, as well as the wider UK fishing industry, has been immense. He has tirelessly defended and promoted the interests of fishermen and vessel operators over many years across the full range of challenges and issues faced by us all. His knowledge, experience and gravitas has ensured the Federation, and the man himself, have been influential, trusted and respected by members and policy makers alike, both here in the UK and on the international stage.

Barrie has been a true doyen of the fishing industry and will be missed. I want to put on the record my personal and the Federation’s gratitude and appreciation of his incredible contribution to the fishing industry during his time with us.

I hope that you find this Yearbook useful and informative.

Photo courtesy of Charles Blyth

Barrie Deas Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations

FIGHTING MISINFORMATION

I would like to use this opportunity address an issue which I know disturbs our whole industry – it is the degree to which commercial fishing is misrepresented to the public. Misrepresentation has become something of an industry in itself.

It is right and proper that we should be held accountable and be open to fair criticism. But when those criticisms are based on falsehoods and distortions, and when those falsehoods and distortions begin to influence policy decisions and the reputational integrity of our industry, we have to call it out for what it is.

We have come through a period of lies – a period when what is real has been cynically or recklessly disregarded, or disputed, and where myths and distortions have been taken as gospel. Maybe misinformation is the leitmotif of the age? It certainly has been evident in high politics on both sides of the Atlantic - but routine misinformation has pervaded fishing too. It is part of what we have to deal with on an ongoing basis

Continued on page 24

In place of the realities, misinformation, myths, and distortions have prevailed. I think that we are all familiar with what I’m talking about:

• There is the catastrophe narrative that is peddled each December that flies in the face of the science, whilst claiming to uphold science

• The bandwagons that are jumped on, creating moral panics and blunt overreactions from government

• From discards, to carbon emissions, to “supertrawlers”, to “overfishing” to crew welfare, our industry has been subject to misrepresentation and exaggeration

• There is money to be made (one way or another) out of lurid exaggeration (and that is not, by the way, to deny that there are sometimes real issues to deal with – that would be to swing too far the other way)

The distortions are often repeated and amplified in the social and mainstream media. The comically wrong headline ‘Only 100 adult cod left in the in the North Sea’ was only the worst of the genre.

We have also seen charlatans who have divided the industry and systematically lied for considerable personal gain. Sometimes it’s not lies but a wilful denial of nuance and of complexity - but the result is the same.

I have to say here that the Government has also been guilty and made promises about fishing and Britain’s departure from the EU that in large part turned out to be hollow. Beware politicians making promises.

This has all had a corrosive effect on politics - and fishing politics. The time spent correcting the distortions has eaten into time better used working for the industry’s benefit. But this is not a counsel of despair: all is not lost.

We have seen that lies get found out eventually. People, eventually, see through the charlatans that peddle those lies. The Future of Inshore Fisheries Conference in 2018 was an exercise in myth-busting, as much as it was an inspirational showcase for the wealth of insight and knowledge held by the industry itself.

We have come through a period of lies

– a period when what is real has been cynically or recklessly disregarded, or disputed, and where myths and distortions have been taken as gospel

Another reason not to despair is the Fisheries Act – and the legal requirement that evidence should be the basis for future fisheries legislation and one of the guiding principles – a hugely important safeguard.

Also, Fisheries Science Partnerships are back – plugging holes in our knowledge and providing an exemplar for cooperation between fishers, scientists and fisheries administers.

Additionally, the shellfish sector has gone from poor cousin to exemplar of what comanagement could look like - in the form of the Shellfish Industry Advisory Group - taking the lead in the development of evidence-based fisheries management plans.

ICES has recently proposed a mechanism to address those occasions when there is divergence between fishermen and scientists on a particular stock assessment. That has to be a positive development and sign of confidence.

There is a growing recognition across the industry that information is power, and it is critically important to understand that the fate of every part of the fleet will be decided on how well it collects, and presents information on where and how it operates.

Remote electronic monitoring, properly applied has an important role to play – not as an enforcement cudgel which is to waste most of its potential - but as a tool available for the industry to use on its own behalf and in its own interest.

Continued on page 26

Photo courtesy of Gemma Gilbert - Ebb & Flow Media

Another important development is the new planned Centre for Sustainable Fisheries which will systematically confront the lies and misinformation using robust and transparent science.

Not least, there are good people working in fisheries management, in Defra, in the MMO, in Seafish, in the Mission and in the producer organisations and in local groups, who work steadily and conscientiously to put our fisheries on a sound footing.

In short, there are many, many, positive stories out there that never surface – which is why The NFFO has initiated a project to capture and get those stories heard – in print and in film.

All this suggests that, just as we broke free from the era of endemic black fish in the 1990s, we can get past the era of lies.

Of course, the realities are challenging enough. Our report on the spatial squeeze, frightening though it is, is not a counsel of despair - it is a call to arms. The sheer amount of money now available via charitable foundations for advocacy can itself have a distorting affect that we have to be alert to – there is no oversight mechanism to call these bodies to account when those funds are used to cause mischief. Our job is shoot down misinformation, whilst always engaging constructively with those who want to engage constructively with us. We must continue to stand for clear-headed, rational fisheries management and fishing politics, whilst always being responsive to our grass-root members’ concerns.

What you can be assured of is that the NFFO will be at the absolute forefront in meeting the many challenges that we as an industry will face in the future.

I think that most of you know that I will be retiring in Spring, after 38 years working for the NFFO, 26 as chief executive. So, this will be my last NFFO yearbook.

A thorough and robust recruitment process is underway, and I am sure that we will find a good replacement – we will keep you informed about the process.

I have absolute confidence that the NFFO will go from strength to strength. We have excellent people working for us: quality people who are knowledgeable and committed.

We have a pool of experience, knowledge and common sense in our Executive Committee that will steer us expertly as it has done in the past.

Above all, we have the core idea which sustains the Federation every day – that the industry needs to speak with a single, clear common voice if it not to be drowned out.

That was the concept that founded the NFFO 45 years ago and it remains the reason why despite, or maybe because, of our diversity – our differences - the NFFO thrives today.

Paul Gilson Chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations

MULTIPLE CHALLENGES AHEAD

Introduction

The reversal of fortunes of our industry has been sudden and stark. We have a fight on our hands on multiple fronts.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement laid bare the hollowness of the government’s rhetoric as we left the EU and the Common Fisheries Policy. The gap between the promise and reality was spelt out in quota shares and access arrangements, little changed from the Common Fisheries Policy and very far from what any self-respecting independent coastal state would expect. Tonnage limits for non-quota species have opened another front where the complexity of the fisheries management issues and an overlay of political positioning are deeply intertwined.

Continued on page 28

Persistently high and volatile fuel costs and the scale of potential displacement from customary fishing grounds are the new threats to the viability of our industry.

The Fisheries Act, the Joint Fisheries Statement and the development of fisheries management plans offer a pathway to a more agile and adaptive fisheries management system in the UK. This will however involve a huge amount of work and will take place within the constraints described above.

A united, vigorous, national organisation to provide the fishing industry with a strong voice where it counts is a prerequisite if we are to have any hope of shaping our future. For 45 years the NFFO has made sure that government of the day knows, with absolute clarity, the considered unified view of the fishing industry in England and Wales. The need for a unified industry speaking with a single voice has never been stronger.

Fuel Costs

The most immediate challenge facing our fleets is undoubtedly the high cost of fuel. The price has, been hovering around the point where it becomes no longer viable to go to sea because earnings no longer cover costs - of which fuel is the most significant component. Approaches to government for a short-term support package have been rejected on the ground that fishing still has the duty rebate on red diesel and fishing is

Photo courtesy of Gemma Gilbert - Ebb & Flow Media

only one amongst many sectors facing difficulties. Fishing, however, as price takers, rather than price makers cannot, unlike other sectors, simply pass on higher fuel costs to the consumers. When vessels are forced to tie-up the whole supply chain is affected. The NFFO has asked what contingency plans have been made by the government to deal with the situation, should supplies dry up - so far without response.

Ukraine

In addition to adding to the spike in energy costs, the war in Ukraine has had profound knock-on effects, some of which impact on fishing. A revaluation of energy policy has triggered an accelerated expansion of offshore wind and the relaxation of the consents process. Both of these have potentially profound implications for the displacement of fishing activity.

A rethink on food security is also under way. The UK’s negotiating priorities in this year’s autumn fisheries negotiations may prioritise access to cod and other whitefish species previously sourced from Russia. Russian scientists and data have been suspended within the ICES system so certain stock assessments may be below the usual standard.

The war in Ukraine has and will continue to have major impacts on fishing and fishing policy.

Following the impact of Covid related lockdown, the fuel price crisis highlights the absence of well-thought-out contingency plans to deal with a variety of shocks impacting primary producers and supply chains. Caught-out by surprise each time and reacting in an uncoordinated, unplanned, ad-hoc way is simply not adequate. More robust planning is required but short-term support is the urgent immediate necessity.

Offshore Wind and NFFO/SFF Spatial Squeeze Report

The expansion of offshore wind at pace is a major contributor to net carbon zero. How that expansion is handled will have profound consequences for the fishing industry, as spelt out in the jointly commissioned NFFO/SFF Spatial Squeeze report, undertaken by authoritative consultants, ABPmer (See Annex). Offshore wind will have an immense impact on where we can fish but the difference between the worst-case and the bestcase scenarios is very significant. Much can be done to mitigate displacement through careful site planning and design decisions but there is no sign yet that the Government has a coherent policy to deal with fisheries displacement.

Given the intensity of the proposed expansion of floating wind platforms in the Celtic Sea, the Federation has formed a regional group through which to share information and coordinate response to the multiple licence applications in the pipeline. This is a model that may be appropriate for other areas too.

Continued on page 30

Marine Protected Areas and Displacement

This is also true of management measures within marine protected areas. With accelerated timetables for management measures and the introduction of highly protected marine areas, government policy has largely substituted a bulldozer approach for the evidence and dialogue-based approach which preceded it. We know that fisheries displacement can generate unintended effects and the scale of displacement implied by the government’s energy and nature conservation policy is likely to be a major factor in the future of our fisheries and fisheries management. A summary of the Spatial Squeeze and the worst-case scenario is reproduced at the end of this report. The report will now form the platform on which we will fight for recognition of the displacement issue and for an adequate joined-up Government response to protect food production areas and systems.

Bottom Trawling/Landing Obligation

A persistent anti-trawling drumbeat against trawling has been a feature of fisheries politics for two or three years. As around 58% of the UK’s catch is made by this method and the calls for a ban have been at the level of slogans rather than serious, considered, evidence-based, policy proposals, it is all to easy to dismiss these efforts as incidental noise. What makes these campaigns dangerous, however, is that politicians and decision-makers can be trapped by populist politics and their own electoral selfinterest into knee-jerk reactive measures. The classic example of this has been the EU landings obligation, for which the UK government is actively seeking the exit door without conceding the principle of minimising unwanted catch.

The strongest safeguard that we have in this regard is that one of the eight objectives in the Fisheries Act is that management measures must be evidence-based. Providing food for people to eat is the strongest argument in favour of bottom trawling and its detractors have yet to address the practical consequences of the policies that they advocate. Every fishing method (indeed every human activity) has an environmental impact which must be managed and minimised and there is much work going on in this field. The work of Ray Hilborn and his team in Washington University have made plain that despite the misinformation peddled by its detractors, fishing has one of the lowest ecological footprints of any food production systems. This is not to deny that in both terrestrial and marine spheres that there are biodiversity challenges. We, as an industry have a responsibility to make further progress but this must be done in a way that is evidencebased, proportionate and recognises that food security is a key element in the matrix.

Risk, Safety, and Training

Over the past 12 months, our Federation has greatly strengthened its work in the area of fishing vessel risk assessment, safety and training. A revamped Safety Committee, under a new chairman, Nigel Blazeby, and the appointment of an experienced and energetic full-time officer, Charles Blyth, have begun to encourage the MCA to move towards greater two-way communication with the industry and to assist vessel operators’

compliance with the complex raft of safety rules. Although it is early days the signs are very encouraging. The NFFO is committed to high standards of safety aboard fishing vessels and is more than ever convinced that active engagement in the risk assessment process is the means to achieve high levels of compliance. A particular focus has been to bring a degree of common sense and realism to the new under-15m safety code and to have an approach to vessel stability that has a degree of flexibility to meet varying circumstances. A meeting with Transport Minister, Robert Court emphasised that the problem lies not so much with the Code but the MCA’s approach to surveys. Representations to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency show early signs of having an impact. The Federation will continue this twin track approach of helping members and the wider industry achieve compliance, whilst making the case for a more flexible means of achieving high standards aboard all classes of fishing vessel.

Crew Welfare

Like many parts of the UK economy, parts of our fleets have become dependent on labour sourced from overseas. There is a particular responsibility on us to ensure that crew, whether recruited domestically or from overseas, are recruited fairly and treated well. It is well recognised that the Government’s own immigration policies have created an obstacle to using the skilled worker route (as opposed to relying on inappropriate

Continued on page 32

Photo courtesy of South Devon and Channel Fishermen Ltd

transit visas) which increase labour vulnerabilities. There are strong legal safeguards for crews, not least in ILO 188, but enforcement - and prosecution when abuse is identifiedis the key to stamping on those who misuse the system. The whole fishing industry should not be the subject of character assassination on the basis of actions of a few. Neither, however, should those who abuse their crews be protected from prosecution.

Bass

Seabass is an important fishery for many different vessels in many locations operating a wide range of gears. This heterogeneity makes managing this fishery a challenge, added to by a considerable recreational fishery and backdoor sales from unlicensed vessels to restaurants and retail outlets.

In fisheries negotiations, the NFFO in recent years has focussed on reducing the number of bass discarded dead as a result of rigidities in the catch limits applied. Discarded dead bass caught as unavoidable bycatch achieves nothing in rebuilding the stock and is the source of massive frustration within the industry.

Against this background it will be interesting to see the progress made by Defra/MMO in developing one of the first fisheries management plans for bass, using novel ways to ensure that everyone involved in the fishery’s voice is heard. The tricky part will be in

Photo courtesy of South Devon and Channel Fishermen Ltd

defining a way through the many voices to a sustainable and profitable fishery based on a well-designed plan. One of the issues to be addressed is the degree to which, as a shared stock, it will also be a jointly managed stock with the EU, or whether the UK flows a separate path.

Shellfish

The NFFO was instrumental in setting up the Shellfish Industry Advisory Group, which now provides an effective voice for the economically important but previously underrepresented shellfish sector. With Seafish providing a dynamic secretariat, the umbrella group and its crab/lobster, whelk and scallop sub-groups) have taken the lead in the development of fisheries management plans for these sectors. This may provide a model for the often referred to but rarely defined concept of co-management. The shellfish sector, in representative terms has leapfrogged from poor cousin to possible exemplar and the NFFO should be proud of its role in achieving this progress. Many challenges lie ahead, including the management of non-quota species (see below) and displacement, but the sector is now much better equipped to deal with these.

Non-Quota Species

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement sets tonnage limits for EU vessels fishing non-quota species in UK waters (40KT) and UK vessels fishing in EU waters (12KT). In addition to this lack of symmetry, which echoes the distortions of the CFP, there are deep concerns about the transparency and accuracy of catch reports through which these complex multi-species, multi-gear and multi-jurisdiction fisheries will be managed in the future. In England and Wales, the value of landings of non-quota species (which range from the highly valuable to the economically negligible) exceeds the value of landings of quota species. This gives an idea of how important it is to get management of this complex and varied sector right. The flawed approach in the TCA and the emerging understanding of the task ahead has led the (UK-EU) Specialised Committee on Fisheries to suspend the enforcement of the agreed tonnage limits in 2021 and 2022. Agreement on a multi-year strategy with the EU is a priority for the Specialised Committee but there is a mountain to climb in an area which, as we have seen, has the potential to become highly politicised.

Inshore Fisheries

In recent months dissatisfaction has been vocally expressed on some parts of the coast about heavy-handed management, glaring errors, and a wilful disinclination to deal fairly and openly with the industry. Some IFCAs have been singled out for particular criticism and a Defra review of the IFCA system is under way. Not all parts of the coast have the same experience and the Federation has opened a dialogue with the Association of IFCAs to identify problem areas and discuss possible solutions.

Continued on page 34

The hugely successful conference ‘The Future of Inshore Fisheries’ held in London in 2018 has had a mixed legacy. It was inspirational for many, providing a glimpse of how we could manage our multi-faceted inshore fisheries with high levels of participation from those in each fishery, and working in cooperation with fishers, fisheries scientists, and fisheries administrators (co-management). The conference spawned several initiatives, including regional fisheries groups around the coast, as Defra and the MMO seek to find better ways to communicate with the industry. The establishment of the Shellfish Industry Advisory Group is another strand which took its lead from the conference. In the North-West England a project involving the MMO, Seafish, the NFFO and local fishermen, seeks to address a range of issues associated with remoteness from markets and the seasonality of catches.

Although the myth-busting conference inspired a commitment to work on the basis of evidence and cooperation, Covid undoubtedly set back the timetable and a priority now must be to reinvigorate the conference energy and rebuild momentum.

2026 / Regulatory Autonomy / Joint Fisheries Statement

Although there are few in the UK fishing industry that would see the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU as anything other than a defeat, a disappointment and a setback, the TCA does not represent the CFP status quo. Although many CFP rules have been incorporated into UK domestic legislation (as EU retained law) the UK now has the scope to diverge from those rules when it is deemed necessary or desirable. In addition to regulatory autonomy over the fisheries within the UK EEZ, the UK now negotiates as an independent party in international fisheries agreements. This is significant.

The Fisheries Act 2020 and the Joint Fisheries Statement provide, respectively, a new legislative and a policy framework which over time will allow the development of a tailored fisheries policy for the UK, mainly through the implementation of fisheries management plans. This is a positive development but will require enormous effort and commitment to bring into reality. Work has begun on a tranche of frontrunner fisheries plans, including for shellfish, bass, flatfish in the Channel and Southern North Sea and mixed demersal species in the Channel.

The NFFO’s work within Parliament to secure a Fisheries Act that was fit for purpose has been widely acknowledged. This has been followed by an extensive and balanced response to the draft Joint Fisheries Statement. Work is underway on frontrunner fisheries management plans. Together these three strands represent the architecture of our future fisheries policy and so deserve maximum attention.

2026 marks the end of the transitional period which allows EU fleets to operate freely within the UK EEZ. After that point access will be a feature of annual fisheries negotiations. We can expect both the EU and the UK to manoeuvre for best position ahead of and during those negotiations, complicating the already complex task of managing shared stocks through the Specialised Committee for Fisheries.

Mixed Fisheries

A disproportionate amount of time is spent on managing the mixed demersal fisheries. Single species stock assessments provide only limited guidance when setting TACs in fisheries where stocks may be exhibiting different trends and conservation status. Zero TAC advice is not particularly helpful for fisheries managers in these circumstances. There are signs a more flexible and subtle approach may be viable using real time catch information to help skippers avoid hotspots of vulnerable species. Cod in UK waters and spurdog are two front-runners for this particular approach.

Meanwhile, ICES continues to develop advice that shifts away from single species advice which allow sustainable harvesting across the range of species in a mixed fishery.

Fisheries Science Partnerships

The NFFO has championed cooperation and mutual understanding between fishermen and fisheries scientists for over twenty years. The original Fisheries Science Partnership was a ground-breaking initiative through which data gaps were addressed through projects involving fisheries scientists and fishermen working collaboratively.

Continued on page 36

Photo courtesy of Gemma Gilbert - Ebb & Flow Media

The concept has been picked up by the UK Seafood Fund. Although there are concerns that research organisations are better placed to access the necessary funds, there are signs that the fund will help to underpin fisheries management with good data. The bottom line is that is not possible to manage a fishery effectively on the basis of inadequate of inaccurate information. FSPs address the gaps.

NFFO Services Limited/ NFFO Training Trust

Our commercial division continues to make a major contribution in support of the Federation’s representative work and to minimising frictions between fishing operations and major offshore infrastructure development in the oil/gas or renewables sectors. The company regularly makes donations of £100,000 to the NFFO Training Trust to help young fishermen through certification and for fishing vessels to purchase certain types of safety equipment and for the education of the public about the fishing industry.

We owe a debt of gratitude is to Mr Bob Casson, chairman of the NFFO Training Trust and the other trustees whose efforts make the Trust work.

Markets

Leaving the EU single market and customs union carried the inevitable consequence of increased export documentation and higher costs. Although the initial period of disruption and delay at the border lasted only a few months, there has been some consolidation as smaller firms making smaller consignments have struggled with the new regime. Steps to streamline the export process have been taken and must go further. There has been, however, a very strong rebound from these changes and the Covid lockdown and demand from the continent and elsewhere overseas is generally high. The exception to this broad picture is with those firms dealing in bivalve molluscs who have had to face an obdurate and immovable Commission and have suffered badly.

The degree to which trade sanctions will be used as a political tool in the future in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol, Ukraine, or post-TCA adjustment period changes is an open question. There is however, one fundamental feature in this relationship. The UK has immense fish and shellfish resources in its waters and there is huge demand in Europe for those resources. Numerous businesses on both sides of the Channel depend for their survival on that trading relationship to work smoothly.

Conclusion

There is only one conclusion. With all that is going on across multiple fronts, and what we can see is coming towards us in future years, it is absolutely essential that the fishing industry in England and Wales has a vigorous, inclusive, responsive, organisation at national level to ensure that its voice is heard.

NFFO/SFF Spatial Squeeze Report ABPmer Summary

The marine environment is an important resource. It contributes to economic growth and livelihoods as well as playing an important role in climate change mitigation. Increasing activity levels from a range of sectors, as well as the need to ensure protection of marine habitats and species, is leading to increasing spatial demands in our seas.

The commercial fishing sector is experiencing ‘spatial squeeze’, with its traditional fishing grounds under increasing competition from other sectors and policies looking to expand in the marine environment. The competition for marine space needs to be carefully managed, to ensure that new industries can establish, co-existence can occur where feasible, and existing sectors are able to thrive.

Approach

The report ‘Spatial Squeeze in Fisheries’ explores past, present and future scenarios to quantify and visualise the spatial demands of existing and forthcoming projects, plans and policies, and their potential implications for the areas available to commercial fishing, focussing on demersal trawling.

Sectors included in the scenarios are: fishing and fisheries management-related restrictions; nature conservation such as restrictions on fishing in protected areas; offshore renewable energy development (wind, wave and tidal); aggregate dredging; aquaculture (finfish, shellfish and seaweed); cables (including power interconnectors, offshore power distribution network cables, power cables to and from offshore infrastructure and telecom cables); and oil and gas infrastructure.

Results

The scenarios demonstrate a significant increase in activity and demand for space from a range of sectors over the next 10-30 years.

In the Past scenario, fishing was relatively unconstrained in where it could operate across the UK EEZ, with only 2,887 km² (0.39% of the EEZ) having restrictions on trawling.

In the Present scenario, the increase in fisheries measures in inshore MPAs, deep-sea trawling restrictions, the development and roll-out of offshore wind, along with other sectors’ activity, results in an overall spatial footprint affecting 169,966 km² of seabed, representing 23 % of the UK EEZ.

In contrast, by 2050, potentially 356,834 km², or 49 % of the UK EEZ, could be subject to restrictions for trawling under the worst-case future scenario.

Continued on page 38

The spatial footprint in 2050 arises predominantly from the implementation of fisheries management measures in marine protected areas and the introduction of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).

The roll-out of offshore wind to an estimated 115 GW of capacity in 2050, stimulated by Net Zero targets, occupies 31,500 km² of sea space.

Cables also have a significant spatial footprint of 25,500 km² if a 0.25 nautical mile notrawling buffer is applied to cables in line with the policy position of the European Subsea Cables Association to minimise risk of damage to cables.

Conclusions

The predicted changes to spatial demands at sea are at a scale and pace that has not been seen before and have potentially significant implications for fisheries and their future viability. At a local or regional level, fisheries may be impacted particularly severely, especially for local inshore fleets with limited operational range.

The displacement of fishing activity under these future scenarios could be substantial, and of a magnitude that cannot be absorbed by the remaining fishing grounds. This could lead to reductions in output and job losses in the fishing industry, and upstream and downstream impacts on associated land-based industries, with particular effects in coastal communities.

The spatial displacement of fishing from existing fishing grounds can also have knockon effects on the areas to which effort is displaced to, leading to conflict with other fleet segments and greater environmental impacts at these locations.

Fishing tends to be concentrated in core areas that account for the majority of effort, with extensive margins. It is important that new developments and nature conservation policies and regulations in the marine area take this into account and seek to minimise displacement of fishing effort. Where there is no alternative, then priority should be given to avoiding displacing fishing from key fishing grounds, intensively fished core areas and areas where fishing activities are sensitive to displacement. Potential future potential changes in fish stock distributions as a result of climate change also need to be taken into consideration.

The future scenarios highlight the importance of enabling co-existence and co-location. This will require close collaboration and cooperation, to minimise impacts on key fishing grounds, and to maximise potential for co-existence through technology choice, design and siting (for developments) and mitigation, innovation and management (for nature conservation). Together, this can help ensure that developments and nature conservation restrictions occur in a way that is compatible with the continuation of fishing activity and the viability of fishing businesses.

ABPmer July 2022

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN’S ORGANISATIONS

30 Monkgate, York, YO31 7PF

Tel: 01904 635430

Website www.nffo.org.uk

Email: nffo@nffo.org.uk

NFFO Executive Committee

President: A Pascoe

Chairman: P Gilson

J Balls T Bartlett N Blazeby A de Boer W Brock

A Brown R Casson D Chambers D Clark A Delahunty

J Evans J Farrell R Graham R Hards P Haslam

J Hatchman A Locker G Meun C North T Owen

S Parker B Pawley C Ranford C Rogers D Salmon

J Sandell E Stevenson P Trebilcock M Youell

Chief Executive

Barrie Deas

Email: bdeas@nffo.org.uk

Deputy Chief Executive

Mike Cohen

Email: Mike.Cohen@nffo.org.uk

PA to the Chief Executive/Office Manager

Joanna Lenehan

Email: Joanna@nffo.org.uk

Policy Officer

Elizabeth Bourke

Email: Elizabeth@nffo.org.uk

East Anglia Committee

Chair: D Chambers

North East Committee

Chair: D Clark

South East Committee

Chair: A Delahunty

Vice Chair: Paul Gilson

Finance & Buildings Officer

Michael Atkin

Email: michael@nffo.org.uk

Direct line: 01904 635428

Risk, Safety & Training Lead

Charles Blyth

Email: Charles@nffo.org.uk

South West Committee

Chair: S Parker Vice Chair: J Balls

West Coast Committee Chair: R Graham

Vice Chair: T Owen

INSHORE FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION AUTHORITIES

CORNWALL INSHORE FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

Chi Gallos, Hayle Marine Renewables Park, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4DD

Tel: 01736 336842

Email: enquiries@cornwall-ifca.gov.uk

www.cornwall-ifca.gov.uk

DEVON AND SEVERN IFCA

Brixham Laboratory, Freshwater Quarry, Brixham, Devon TQ5 8BA

Tel: 01803 854648

Email: office@devonandsevernifca.gov.uk

www.devonandsevernifca.gov.uk

EASTERN INSHORE FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

6 North Lynn Business Village, Bergen Way, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 2JG

Tel: 01553 775321

Email: mail@eastern-ifca.gov.uk

www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk

KENT AND ESSEX IFCA

Main Office: Paragon House, Albert Street, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 9HD

Tel: 01843 585310

Email: info@kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk

www.kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk

Essex Office: The Sail Loft, Shipyard Estate, Brightlingsea, Essex C07 0AR

Tel: 01206 303261

Email: info@kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk

www.kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk

ISLES OF SCILLY IFCA

Main Office: Town Hall, St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly TR21 0LW

Tel: 01720 424588

Email: ifca@scilly.gov.uk

www.scillyifca.gov.uk/

NORTH EASTERN INSHORE FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

Town Hall, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, YO16 4LP

Tel: 01482 393515 Fax: 01482 393699

Email: ne-ifca@eastriding.gov.uk

www.ne-ifca.gov.uk

NORTH WESTERN IFCA

1 Preston Street, Carnforth, Lancashire, LA5 9BY

Tel: 01524 727970

Email: office@nw-ifca.gov.uk

www.nw-ifca.gov.uk

WHITEHAVEN

6 Duncan Square, Whitehaven, Cumbria CA28 7LN

Tel: 01946 693047/852889 Fax: 01946 590430

Email: office@nw-ifca.gov.uk

www.nw-ifca.gov.uk

NORTHUMBERLAND IFCA

8 Ennerdale Road, Blyth, Northumberland NE24 4RT

Tel: 01670 797676

Email: nifca@nifca.gov.uk

www.nifca.gov.uk

SOUTHERN IFCA

Unit 3 Holes Bay Park, Sterte Avenue West, Poole, Dorset BH15 2AA

Tel: 01202 721373

Email: enquiries@southern-ifca.gov.uk

www.southern-ifca.gov.uk

SUSSEX IFCA

12a Riverside Business Centre, Brighton Road, Shoreham By Sea, West Sussex BN43 6RE

Tel: 01273 454407

Email: admin@sussex-ifca.gov.uk

www.sussex-ifca.gov.uk

Photo courtesy of Seafish

SCOTLAND

MARINE SCOTLAND

1A South, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ

Tel: 0300 244 4000

Email marinescotland@gov.scot

Web: marine.gov.scot

MARINE LABORATORY

375 Victoria Road, Aberdeen AB11 9DB

Tel: 0131 244 2500

Email marinescotland@gov.scot

FRESHWATER LABORATORY

Faskally, Pitlochry PH16 5LB

Tel: 0131 244 2900

Email marinescotland@gov.scot

FRESHWATER LABORATORY

Inchbraoch House, South Quay, Ferryden, Montrose DD10 9SL

Tel: 0131 244 4500

Email: marinescotland@gov.scot

IRELAND

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Marine and Fisheries Division

Rathkeltair House, Market Street, Downpatrick, Co Down BT30 6AJ and 1st floor, Klondyke Building, Cromac Avenue, Belfast, Co Down BT7 2AJ

Tel: 028 9056 9262

Email: marine.inforequests@daera-ni.gov.uk

www.daera-ni.gov.uk

WALES

WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT FISHERIES UNIT

Marine and Fisheries Division

Rhodfa Padarn, Llanbadarn Fawr, Aberystwyth, SY23 3UR

Tel: 0300 062 2184

Email: marineandfisheries@wales.gsi.gov.uk

www.gov.wales

MARINE MANAGEMENT ORGANISATION (MMO)

HEAD OFFICE

Lancaster House, Hampshire Court, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7YH

MMO helpline: 0300 123 1032

Email: info@marinemanagement.org.uk www.gov.uk/mmo

Fish exports helpline: Telephone 0330 159 1989 (9am to 5pm)

MARINE AREA OFFICES

BRIXHAM OFFICE

New Fish Quay, Brixham, Devon TQ5 8AW

Tel: 0208 026 9059

Email: brixham@marinemanagement.org.uk

BEVERLEY OFFICE (PREVIOUSLY GRIMSBY)

Room 13, Ground Floor, Crosskill House, Mill Lane, Beverley HU17 9JB

Tel: 0208 720 1344

Email: beverley@marinemanagement.org.uk

HARWICH OFFICE

Miranda House, The Quay, Harwich CO12 3HH

Tel: 0208 026 5695

Email: harwich@marinemanagement.org.uk

HASTINGS OFFICE

Muriel Matters House, Breeds Place, Hastings, East Sussex TN34 3UY

Tel: 0208 026 9180

Email: hastings@marinemanagement.org.uk

LONDON OFFICE (NOBEL, ERGON AND MILLBANK)

17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR

Tel: 0207 238 5518

Email: security.lnh@defra.gsi.gov.uk

LOWESTOFT OFFICE

Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0HT

Tel: 0208 026 6094

Email: lowestoft@marinemanagement.org.uk

NORTH SHIELDS OFFICE

Neville House, Central Riverside, Bell Street, North Shields, Tyne and Wear NE30 1LJ

Tel: 0208 026 5561

Email: northshields@marinemanagement.org.uk

HAYLE OFFICE

Chi Gallos, Hayle Marine Renewables Business Park, North Quay, Hayle TR27 4DD

Tel: 0208 026 9060

Email: western@marinemanagement.org.uk

PLYMOUTH OFFICE

The Fish Quay, Sutton Harbour, Plymouth, Devon PL4 0LH

Tel: 0208 026 9052

Email: plymouth@marinemanagement.org.uk

POOLE OFFICE

The Quay, Poole, Dorset BH15 1HP

Tel: 0208 026 9061

Email: poole@marinemanagement.org.uk

PORTSMOUTH OFFICE

Lynx House, 1 Northern Road, Portsmouth PO6 3XB

Tel: 02392 373435

Email: portsmouth@marinemanagement.org.uk

PRESTON OFFICE

Lutra House, Dodd Way, Walton Summit, Preston PR5 8BX

Tel: 0208 026 5643

Email: preston@marinemanagement.org.uk

SCARBOROUGH OFFICE

Unit 2a, Newchase Court, Hopper Hill Road, Eastfield, Scarborough

North Yorkshire YO11 3YS

Tel: 0208 026 0538

Email: scarborough@marinemanagement.org.uk

SHOREHAM OFFICE

Pilots’ Watch House, Basin Road South, Portslade, West Sussex BN41 1WD

Tel: 0208 026 9057

Email: shoreham@marinemanagement.org.uk

WHITEHAVEN OFFICE

Fish Hall, North Harbour, North Shore, Whitehaven, Cumbria CA28 7XY

Tel: 0208 026 2554

Email: whitehaven@marinemanagement.org.uk

MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY

HEAD OFFICE

Spring Place

105 Commercial Road, Southampton SO15 1EG

Email: infoline@mcga.gov.uk

Main switchboard 0203 817 2000

OUT OF HOURS DUTY SURVEYOR

Technical Enquiries +44 (0)7810 528504

Note that this service is for Urgent Technical Enquiries that require action out of office hours only and for enquiries on registration of ships, seafarer’s certification see the list provided here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/maritime-and-coastguardagency/about/access-and-opening

UK SHIP REGISTER

Customer Services: merchant and bareboat charter registration

MCA HQ

Spring Place

105 Commercial Road Southampton

SO15 1EG

Email: ukshipregister@mcga.gov.uk

MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY PRESS OFFICE

Press enquiries 020381 72222 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm)

Outside these hours, for emergency press enquiries only please dial the above number. You will hear a message giving an out of hours pager number.

SEAFARER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION: DECK TRAINING

Email: deck@mcga.gov.uk

SEAFARER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION: BOATMASTER TRAINING

Email: boatmaster@mcga.gov.uk

SEAFARER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION: FSE/CEC TRAINING

Email: fse@mcga.gov.uk

SEAFARER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION: ENGINEERING TRAINING

Email: engineering@mcga.gov.uk

SEAFARER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION: EXAMS SECTION

Email: exams@mcga.gov.uk

SEAFARER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION: REVALIDATION TEAM

Email: revalidation@mcga.gov.uk

SEAFARER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION: SAFEMANNING TEAM

Email: safemanning@mcga.gov.uk

SEAFARER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION: SMART TEAM

Email: smart@mcga.gov.uk

SEAFARER TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION: STC COURSES

Email: stc.courses@mcga.gov.uk

HM COASTGUARD AND SEARCH AND RESCUE HEADQUARTERS

Administrative enquires for Search and Rescue matters only:

HM Coastguard Operations

Bay 2/06, Spring Place

105 Commercial Road, Southampton

Hampshire SO15 1EG

Email: sar.response@mcga.gov.uk

Coastguard administrative enquiries only: 020 381 72630

In an emergency in the UK, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. If you are at sea, use GMDSS systems to make a distress or urgency alert: Emergency Contact - Dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard

The email address above must not be used to pass operational SAR information. These contact details are for office hours only. Please scroll down for contact information for the Coastguard Operation Centres.

VOLUNTEER COASTGUARD RESCUE SERVICE

Email: crsenquiries@mcga.gov.uk

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MARITIME OPERATIONS

Email: sar.response@mcga.gov.uk

UK SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMITTEE: MRS NAOMI DAVIES

Email: naomi.Davies@mcga.gov.uk

SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS SPECIALIST: MR ROLY MCKIE

Email: roly.mckie@mcga.gov.uk

ABERDEEN COASTGUARD OPERATIONS CENTRE

HM Coastguard, 4th Floor, Marine House, Blaikies Quay, Aberdeen AB11 5PB

Tel: 01224 592 334

BELFAST COASTGUARD OPERATIONS CENTRE

HM Coastguard, Bregenz House, Quay Street, Bangor, Co Down BT20 5ED

Tel: 02891 463 933

DOVER MARITIME RESCUE CO-ORDINATION CENTRE

HM Coastguard, Langdon Battery, Swingate, Dover, Kent CT15 5NA

Tel: 01304 210 008

FALMOUTH COASTGUARD OPERATION CENTRE

HM Coastguard, Pendennis Point, Castle Drive, Falmouth TR11 4WZ

Tel: 01326 317 575

HOLYHEAD COASTGUARD OPERATIONS CENTRE

HM Coastguard, Prince of Wales Road, Holyhead, Anglesey, North Wales LL65 1ET

Tel: 01407 762 051/763 911

HUMBER COASTGUARD OPERATIONS CENTRE

HM Coastguard, Limekiln Lane, Bridlington, East Yorkshire YO15 2LX

Tel: 01262 672 317

NATIONAL MARITIME OPERATIONS CENTRE

National Maritime Operation Centre

Unit 12, Kites Croft Business Park, Fareham PO14 4LW

Tel: 02392 552100

LONDON COASTGUARD OFFICE

Thames Barrier Navigation Centre, Unit 28, 34 Bowater Road, Woolwich, London SE18

5TF

Tel: 02083 127 380

MILFORD HAVEN COASTGUARD OPERATION CENTRE

HM Coastguard, Gorsewood Drive, Hakin, Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire SA73 3HB

Tel: 01646 690 909

SHETLAND COASTGUARD OPERATION CENTRE

HM Coastguard, The Knab, Knab Road, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0AX

Tel: 01595 692976

STORNOWAY COASTGUARD OPERATION CENTRE

HM Coastguard, Clan Macquarrie House, Battery Point, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Western Isles HS1 2RT

Tel: 01851 702013/4

Photo courtesy of South Devon and Channel Fishermen Ltd