Small boat fishermen in Ramsgate UK have seen the volume of quota available to them increase by 25 tonnes, thanks to a pilot project run by the Fish Producer Organisation and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO).
The project aims to facilitate co-operation between vessels when negotiating swaps of quota of different species to provide small boat fishermen with a more long term solution to the issues around accessing quota, while ensuring the industry remains environmentally and economically sustainable.
Barry Deas, chief executive, NFFO, said that this pilot demonstrates a more flexible way of helping small boat fishermen to access quota over the course of a year.
He said: “The issue of availability of quota for small boats has been a highly emotive area of debate but through this scheme we’ve been able to demonstrate a practical and commercial solution delivered through the industry working together.”
Boats under 10 metres have to adhere to monthly quota limits set by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) or by leasing quota from other boats.
But now the NFFO wants to extend the project to those parts of the under 10m fleet which periodically face problems with accessing quota.
Both organisations are now calling on Defra to allow the project to be extended more widely in 2014.
