Four Fishery Protection ships from three European member states arrived in Chatham today after joint operations at sea which began on Monday March 19.
For the joint operations Royal Navy Fishery Protection vessel HMS Tyne was joined by Protection Vessel Barend Biesheubel from Holland. They were in the North Sea and the eastern English Channel.
Royal Navy Fishery Protection vessel HMS Severn was partnered by French protection vessel P.A.M Themis for a joint operation in the eastern English Channel.
The ships were coordinated by the Marine Fisheries Agency Operations London HQ which uses satellite tracking to monitor the position of European fishing boats every two hours.
The Fishery Protection Vessels swapped fisheries officers and observers. However, hampered by bad weather, only one boarding was carried out to check logbook, catches and fishing gear.
Berthing at Chatham will be followed by a conference organised by the UK’s Marine Fisheries Agency in conjunction with the Community Fisheries Control Agency, attended by the European Commission and 50 delegates from nine member states.
Marine Fisheries Agency (MFA) operations director David Holliday said:
“Preservation of European fish stocks is a priority both for fishermen and the marine environment.
“It is vital that fisheries protection in European waters is even-handed and the rules to conserve fish stocks are fairly enforced. We want fishermen to be assured that every effort is being made to treat all nationalities exactly the same.
“The point of the MFA joint operation and conference is to co-operate, consult, and compare how, our member states’ fishery protection measures are working. And how we can work together more closely with our European partners to further improve and co-ordinate our operations.
“The MFA is also determined to encourage a culture of compliance with the rules within the fishing industry – and this can be better achieved when fishery protection measures are even-handed and are seen to be even-handed.”
