Newsroom

Victory on medicals for under 10s, but the fight goes on

27 March 2024

After extensive campaigning by the NFFO, the government has today announced a partial reversal of its policy on medical certification for fishermen. Anyone fishing for 4 weeks or more on a UK under 10m boat between 30th November 2021 and 29th November 2023 is now exempt from the requirement to hold a medical fitness certificate.

More Restrictions – More Spatial Squeeze

8 February 2024

The government's recent ban on sandeel fishing and restrictions on mobile gear seem to be more about grabbing headlines than than genuinely contributing to marine resource management.

Two Stage Response Required to Address Pollack Crisis

23 January 2024

The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) has called for a two-stage response to the crisis engulfing the inshore fleets, following the decision to cut the total allowable catch to an unmanageable 832 tonnes, with a risible UK quota of 203 tonnes for 2023.

Fishing, fuel and fake news

19 January 2024

There always seem to be some in academia and charity sector who find that they can make a good living pulling in grants and donations by attacking fishermen. Perhaps it is because a working class industry, largely composed of small businesses, doesn’t have the money or the connections to play them at their own game. Whatever the reason, a newspaper is again trotting out discredited claims about the carbon emissions of fishing fleets and a handful of academics and NGOs are pretending that fuel duty rates are subsidies.

Government Change of Heart on Medicals Follows NFFO Campaign

16 January 2024

After months of campaigning from the NFFO, the government is considering changing the rules on medical certificates for small boat fishers.

BBC reports on NFFO’s call for action on medical certificates

29 November 2023

One Show highlights looming crisis in inshore fleet

Cod: Precautionary Conundrum

16 October 2023

The new Northern Shelf Cod assessment may be a step forward for multi-stock assessment, but it's a step back for balanced fisheries management, argues Dale Rodmell, CEO of Eastern England FPO.

NFFO Regional Committees – a voice for the non-sector.

5 October 2023

The NFFO has begun to rejuvenate its Regional Committees, in an effort to give a bigger voice to the non-sector membership.

NFFO Annual General Meeting 2023

4 October 2023

The main political parties representing English and Welsh constituencies have been invited to address the NFFO’s annual general meeting later this month.

Fisheries Management Plans – Time to have our say

27 July 2023

FMPs have great potential. They represent a genuinely new way of developing fisheries management measures. Instead of the top-down impositions of the CFP, we have at least the opportunity of something more flexible, more responsive and more democratic. By bringing together fishers, scientists and regulators, FMPs should be capable of producing far better outcomes than the politically motivated compromises that we became used to under the old regime.

New Partnership to Improve Fishing Safety

7 July 2023

The final day of Maritime Safety Week 2023 sees the launch of a new partnership to improve safety in commercial fishing. The partnership has been established between The Seafarers’ Charity and the National Federation of Fisherman’s Organisations (NFFO) and formalised by a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at ensuring collaboration on a range of industry led initiatives to improve fishing safety.