There is something to be said about being positive in times of crisis. It is far to easy just to give up or give in and far more harder to pick yourself up and try again, to battle against all odds.
That thought must have crossed the minds of many British fishermen over the past few years as reduced landings, poor prices and increased running costs have had a severe impact on the profits of the UK fishing fleet, with their livelihoods in serious jeopardy.
This was confirmed in a comprehensive report issued last month by Seafish who surveyed the fleet during 2001, when the industry reached its lowest ebb.
Vessel earnings have fallen by an estimated 25% and crew earnings by almost 29%. Profit has also fallen by 75% in some areas with the worst hit being the south west and English Channel beam trawlers, as well as the sectors targeting the main whitefish species in the North Sea, Irish Sea and west of Scotland.
The man charged with keeping a close watchful eye over the industry is UK fisheries Minister Elliot Morley. He has remained positive throughout the wave of depression in the industry but has also faced criticism from some industry members who found it difficult to see why de-commissioning was necessary.
Amid the daily rush of interviews, functions and meetings and attending the House of Commons, Elliot Morley talks positively in his London offices about what the industry still has offer. He starts by explaining that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) needs to be more flexible, recognising regional differences. He says that many people think there should be one regulation for all member states and everyone should interpret it the same.
"Technically there is one rule but it is true that different Member States can apply their own management, but I actually think there should be more flexibility in the CFP to recognise regional differences," says Elliot Morley
He adds: "Part of the CFP's problem is that its not flexible enough to allow change such as emergency conservation methods. All these issues have to be addressed."
Elliot Morley admits there is a strong dislike of the CFP amongst industry members who consider it a total failure. Although there is hope with the new CFP reforms issued in May. "There is no doubt that the CFP has serious weaknesses but I think some of the criticism is aimed towards more the dislike of management more than anything else, I think some fishermen feel there would be no regulations if there wasn't a CFP," says Elliot Morley, adding: "I think there is a strong case for a European wide fisheries management regime."
Some British fishermen believe the Government is not taking the fishing industry seriously but Elliot Morley feels strongly that the reality is actually the opposite.
"The Government has always taken the British Fishing industry seriously," he says, "It has devoted a lot of time, money and attention to the industry, there has even been criticism that an industry that size gets undue attention and resources compared to other departments.
"I don't think this criticism is valid because the British fishing industry has become a very important part of the food chain."
He says that fish still has a very strong marketing image in the UK and that is one of many opportunities for the industry to build on. "There is still very good demand for UK fish both in this country and our target export countries, it has a really good marketing image and there is lots of opportunities to build on that and hopefully bring some confidence back into the industry."
Elliot Morley refers to the UK's ports and auctions developments as real progress for the industry and believes they are world class facilities. The new auction system at Fishgate Hull is a prime example but also money has been invested in Scotland's main port Peterhead.
But talking about investment for fishermen, Elliot Morley is strongly against a subsidy system. "I don't want to go down the subsidy path with the fishing industry because I have seen what has happened in agriculture," he says adding that no one in the industry should be relying on subsidies to keep going.
He is also against providing aid for new fishing vessels in a time when scrapping old ones as part of the industry's de-commissioning scheme has been seen as the only way forward. "I don't believe support for new vessels is sensible, it's not good for fishermen, for prices, for fish stocks or for the future of the industry."
The future of the industry might also involve deep sea fishing. The UK has commissioned extensive research into deep sea fishing to improve the country's knowledge of the stocks and aquaculture is also very high on the agenda.
"I think precautionary TAC's will have to be applied along with tight management to deep water fishing because I believe there is extensive stocks available if we deal with things sensibly, " says Elliot Morley.
In fact sensible has been the 'buzz' word in the past year as the industry has recognised a shift in attitudes of British fishermen. "There has definitely been a big change in attitude, fisheremen now see the need for preservation and conservation and that problems with stocks are related to effort."
But does he still believe that the management of European stocks now is simply just effective management of decline? "There is no doubt we have a serious problem in Europe but as I said there are also some very promising opportunities, the challenge is to make sure the fisheries are sustainable while fisheremen still get a decent return, and I honestly believe that can be achieved although there will be some painful decisions to be made along the way."
