West Coast Committee to Look at Options for Community Quota

11th July 2014 in Domestic Fisheries Policy, Irish Sea, West Coast

The NFFO's West Coast Committee agreed at its meeting in Barrow on the 4th July to explore the feasibility of establishing a community quota scheme in the wake of what is seen as a positive pilot in Ramsgate.

Having greater control over the allocation of quota in the local fleet is believed to offer the potential advantages over the current monthly pool catch limits which are only going to become more challenging under any landings obligation.

Chairman Ron Graham said "it is important that we explore our options before either the landings obligation comes into effect or any further changes to domestic management come forward to address latent fleet capacity. We don't know what is the right model for the region yet but we need to be on the front foot looking at all possibilities and not waiting for something to happen that we then have to react to", he said.

The Federation intends to work to facilitate dialogue with the authorities and POs to examine what options could be possible to establish a community quota scheme for the region.

The Committee also:

• Reviewed progress on community projects supported by the West of Morecambe Fisheries Fund.

• Agreed to field a spokesperson to ensure the plight of region’s inshore fleet is fully represented in the face of the ill-conceived Commission proposal to ban drift nets.

• Reviewed a project to look at changes to fishing practice in the vicinity of Eastern Irish Sea wind farm sites.

• Agreed to investigate proposed controlled sewage discharge proposals and the risks to the seasonal mussel fishery in the Duddan estuary.

• Agreed to propose using the NFFO Trust Fund allocations to the Committee to support currently unfunded fishermen's training courses.

• Reviewed NWIFCA developing proposals for the Morecambe Bay Hybrid Order which included a Byelaw in respect of vessel length for vessels working inside the jurisdiction of the NWIFCA district.