UK fishermen have questioned the UK Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon, on their “pivotal” future as major changes are made to the industry.
Richard Benyon said: “This is the fishing industry’s opportunity to make sure what is implemented is proportionate, is effective, goes no further than it needs and is scientific and evidence based.”
Members of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) and Mr Benyon discussed the practical and commercial implications of high profile changes, including the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), a ban on discards, quota management and shell fisheries.
The transfer of fisheries management from Brussels to a more regional level was another key area of focus and one which the NFFO’s chief executive, Barrie Deas, said “could have the power to really turn around dysfunctional fisheries management”.
The change and diversity within the UK fishing fleet was also underlined in the questioning, with Mr Deas stating that “the number of questions pertaining to shellfishery demonstrates the noticeable move away from white fish in recent years.”
“This is both a great testament to the industry’s ability to adapt to survive, but also a lament of the changes our colleagues have been forced to make because of fisheries mismanagement under the Common Fisheries Policy,” he added.
During the questioning, Mr Benyon highlighted the need for a scientific and evidenced based approach to MCZs and commended the NFFO for its work during the recent CFP reform and its efforts supporting small scale fisheries.
