Following a march on Parliament organised by TV chef and campaigner, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, on 25 February 2013, the National Federation of Fisherman’s Organisations (NFFO) met with organisers to give the industry view on the introduction of 127 new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).
In a meeting between Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and NFFO chief executive, Barrie Deas, the NFFO spoke of the industry’s support of MCZs as a way of protecting vulnerable marine features and sensitive habitats, but stressed that the process of implementing them should be fair, rational and evidence based.
The NFFO says that a rushed process could result in damage to both the environment and the livelihoods of fishermen and fishing communities.
Mr Deas said: “The Government’s decision to proceed with a first tranche of 31 MCZ designations, whilst gathering evidence on the rest, is the only rational approach consistent with the advice of the Science Advisory Panel. This contrasts with the superficial approach advocated by a range of NGOs, supported by Hugh’s Fish Fight.”
He added: “The message we are getting from the fishing industry is that Hugh’s Fish Fight seems to have lost sight of its original focus and linked itself to the agenda of NGOs with zero concern for fishermen.”
However, the two parties were in agreement that fishing plays a critical role in the nation’s food security. The NFFO stated that although all forms of fishing have some environmental impact; overall, fishing has a lighter footprint than almost every other form of food production and is managing its impacts to reduce its footprint further still.
