27 August 2014
The NFFO is to hold a major summit focused on the future direction of shellfish policy. The meeting which will involve shell-fishermen from all sectors and all parts of the coast, along with DEFRA policy officials, assessment scientists, fisheries managers and a range of invited guests, will be held in Greenwich, London on 14th October.
NFFO
Chairman, Tony Delahunty, himself an under-10m shell-fisherman on the South Coast, commented:
“Our
crab and lobster fisheries remain in a good place. By and large, we have
avoided the problems faced by the whitefish sector over the last decade. But
this is not a time to be complacent. The sector faces real challenges and it is
vital that fishermen have a say in the direction that government policy takes
from here on in.”
“Scientific
stock assessments will be an important driver for policy in the future so the
quality of those assessments will be paramount. There is also a latent capacity
issue that has the potential to undermine any and all management measures if
left unaddressed. How do we keep small-scale shell-fisheries open to new
entrants, whilst keeping a lid on overall capacity? How do we keep flexibility
whilst limiting access? What is the right balance between technical measures
and curbs on the amount of gear? What is practicable and workable? How will
marine protected areas affect the shell-fish sector in coming years? These are
some of the key questions that our sector have to face up to and the summit is
intended to allow all views to be expressed.”
“The
format of having fishermen, science and policy specialists in one room to
thrash out the issues is a tried and tested approach, which has the potential
to inform policy in a very direct and effective way. Our aim is to have every
part of the coast and every fleet segment represented. This is a meeting for
both small boat fishermen, the high-volume part of the industry and everyone in
between.”
“It
is our intention to update the meeting with the latest science and policy
developments as a foundation for developing the industry’s own views on the way
forward from here. We aim to make this the can’t miss event of the decade in shellfish policy.”
Further details of the event including booking instructions can be found on the Shellfish Committee page.