The National Federation of Fisherman’s Organisations (NFFO), the body representing fishermen’s interests in the UK has rejected claims by Greenpeace that criticise how the industry is represented.
The claims allege that NFFO membership includes 57% of foreign investment and that in a letter to the EU Commission, the NFFO has urged the body to exclude smaller, in shore fisherman’s groups from Europe’s Regional Advisory Councils (RACs).
The NFFO says this is “inaccurate and misrepresentative information”, running a real risk of harming an industry that is now sustainably aware and scientifically based, and in a way that would cost jobs, damage the wider economy and threaten future consumer supply.
NFFO points out that in fact, current membership information shows only 8% of member vessels are owned outside the UK, ensuring strong representation from the home fishing industry, with the organisation having a broad representation of vessel sizes both within the body and on its central lobbying committee. At present, 66% of member fishing vessels are below 15m, and 40% are below 10m – the standard categorisation for small, local, inshore craft.
It says that it acknowledges the difficulty of ensuring a strong voice for small scale fishermen and contrary to what Greenpeace says, in its widely circulated letter to the Commission, it put forward a range of positive suggestions to remedy the position within a reformed Common Fisheries Policy, including outreach work to areas of the small-scale fleet which is currently under-represented.
NFFO Chairman, Paul Trebilcock, also chief executive of the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation, said: “Greenpeace has, in the past, been applauded by the industry for campaigns against illegal fishing and human rights abuse of crew, but this report appears quite desperate in its efforts to create and exploit divisions in our industry. Fortunately there seem to be few fishermen who buy into their propaganda. The truth is that the NFFO and many others in the industry share a goal of sustainability and are working hard to achieve it.”
“The Greenpeace findings assume a very naive and simplistic division of the fishing fleet into small artisanal and big industrial vessels, when the reality is a diverse and complex fleet with many shared interests.”
