The meetings, which will be hosted by Defra and the Marine Management Organisation, have been designed to identify the best ways to manage the introduction of the landing obligation.
Fisheries Minister George Eustice said, “The discard ban is one of the most important changes to fisheries management in the last decade and follows three years of hard fought UK-led negotiations in Europe.
“We’re working closely with industry and the EU to ensure the discard ban is applied proportionately and works in practice for fishermen. It’s crucial we help them adjust to the new reforms and make the transition to each phase of the ban as smooth as possible.
“Our meetings with fishing communities, consultation and research will inform how we handle fish that would have previously been discarded so it can be put to the best use, allowing us to achieve our shared goals of a thriving fishing industry, sustainable fish stocks and a healthy marine environment.”
The Minister visited inshore fishermen in Hastings today to discuss preparations for the ban. The meeting with the New Under Ten Metre Fisherman’s Association (NUTFA), Amber Rudd MP and local skippers also provided an opportunity to discuss the launch of Defra’s new latent capacity consultation.
This has been designed to deliver more reliable monthly quotas and help fishermen to better manage their businesses. Together with the annual reallocation of 720 tonnes of potential catch since 2012 this will support local inshore fishing communities in Hastings, and across the UK.
