Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minutes of Evidence


Memorandum submitted by the Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers' Organisation Ltd (W22)

  1.  Yesterday in Kilkeel the funeral was held of a local fisherman who was lost at sea when his fishing vessel sank last week. For the many communities around the UK and Ireland that depend upon the sea this is not an uncommon situation. However, while we hesitate at making forecasts we would predict that such events will become increasingly regular in Northern Ireland. Since February 2002 five fishermen from Kilkeel have been lost at sea as a result of their small fishing vessels sinking. In the 10 years prior to February 2002 there were no fatalities from this port for such reasons. Commentators debate the socio-economic consequences that fisheries policies have upon fishing communities. I would suggest that we are witnessing the real socio-economic consequences of these policies, as fishermen are encouraged to decommission larger vessels and opt for a career in much smaller fishing boats.

  2.  Of course training and safety awareness is an issue, but there is no lack of it in Northern Ireland for those who want to avail of it. During the 10 weeks of the 5th successive Irish Sea Cod closure this year, this Organisation together with the local Sea Fish Industry Training Association was able to put 155 fishermen through statutory training courses. However, the continuing funding of these courses, as well as assistance with the provision of safety equipment remains a live issue.

  3.  Much has been heard about the problems facing the Scottish fishing industry, in particular over the past few years as a succession of decommissioning schemes have removed much of the Scottish whitefish fleet. I would suggest that those problems facing the Northern Irish industry preceded the Scottish industry's problems. Warnings to our Scottish colleagues trumpeted through the columns of "Fishing News" were ignored.

  4.  Northern Ireland's fishing industry is worth approximately £100 million per annum. It represents about 5% of the UK industry's worth. Over 90% of fish and shellfish landed are exported. Today, the over 10 metre fishing fleet stands at around 135 fishing vessels, down from over 200 vessels in the early '90s. The average age of a local fishing vessel is 34 years. Around 1,650 men and women are employed by the local industry—650 at sea and the remainder on shore. There is a growing dependence upon eastern European labour. Indeed one in five crewmembers in Kilkeel are of eastern European descent. There are language problems, which the local community are organising to overcome. The list of issues and problems could continue, but they are very similar to the problems faced elsewhere. Of course local fishermen make a comparison between themselves and their colleagues from the Republic of Ireland. While Irish fishermen do have their problems, they have benefited from European grant aid that has helped to rebuild their fleet. In the UK context European grant aid has helped to scrap the fleet.

  5.  In January 2003 the Prime Minister tasked his Strategy Unit to carry out a review of the UK's fishing industry. The result. "Net benefits" was published in March 2004. The 33 recommendations it contains include some that this Organisation can welcome, others we fear and some that we are still seeking an explanation of. Some within the industry have dismissed the report. They are understandably sceptical of the process. This Organisation, while expressing its concerns, has decided to engage in the process in an attempt to create a framework that will provide some hope to our fishing industry. The fact is that no short-term credible alternative to this process exists. Even withdrawal from the Common Fisheries Policy seems to be some way off.

  6.  So what is the problem? Quite simply it is the fisheries management regime—not a lack of fish. It is the combination of the Common Fisheries Policy with its most important ingredient, which is outdated and ill-conceived fisheries science. The results are easily illustrated by the following table showing the evolution of quotas in the Irish Sea between 1994 and 2004.

IRISH SEA TACs (TONNES): 1994 to 2004
Species1994 2004Change
Cod6,2002,150 -65%
Whiting8,000510 -94%
Plaice3,1001,340 -57%
Nephrops20,00017,500 -12.5%
Haddock6001,500 +150%
Herring7,0004,800 -31%


  7.  The first reaction by many observers to such statements is predictable—"The fishermen are in denial. They can't and won't admit that over fishing is the problem." On 5 September 2003, in an attempt to counter this perception, this Organisation held a seminar in Kilkeel, a report on which is attached as an addition to this submission. It is self-explanatory. Suffice to say that this Organisation has now been awarded a significant sum of money to continue its investigations into the alternative science by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland and it is an issue picked up in "Net Benefits".

  8.  Many advocate withdrawal from the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and "Net Benefits" is charged with largely ignoring this important issue. We are no supporter of the CFP, but we are unsure where withdrawal would take us. Indeed, we would suggest that many, including politicians and fisheries scientists hide behind the veil of the CFP as a convenient way of avoiding the real issue. Politicians will always fall back on the best available science. When questioned about what their polices would be following withdrawal, especially with regard to TAC levels, politicians have refused to answer such questions, describing them as "theoretical". These questions represent the hub of the issue.

  9.  One only has to look at experiences outside of the EU/CFP. Canada, Iceland and Norway are not members of the EU/CFP, yet their fishermen have suffered in many similar ways to Northern Irish fishermen. In August the UK's Fisheries minister visited Iceland and seemed to hail the fisheries regime in force there, in particular the ITQs. Closer examination shows that since throwing UK and other European fishermen out of their territorial waters in the 1970s, claiming the this would leave more fish for their own fishermen, the catch of Cod around Iceland has practically halved and many fishing communities have closed down. Does this ring a bell? Remember, Iceland is not part of the CFP, but it's fisheries policies are directed by ICES fisheries scientists, the same club that advises the EU. The Faroe Islands is one North Atlantic fishing community that seems to have got it right. It is not a member of the EU, but it seems the main reason it's fishing industry is a success is because it has politicians who have been brave enough to ignore the "best available" ICES science. This in a country that is 99% dependent upon fish exports. The UK Fisheries Minister visited the Faroe Islands a few weeks ago. It is interesting to note that he did not comment too much on his findings there!

  10.  Progress with "Net Benefits" has been slow and this is frustrating. Decisions on TACs and effort control for 2005 will be taken in a little over four weeks time on 22 and 23 December 2004, two years after the decisions that led to "Net Benefits" were made. So far as the Irish Sea is concerned, despite sea area closures, reduced TACs, the introduction of additional technical conservation measures (as proposed by the fishermen), tie-up schemes, increased enforcement and control measures and decommissioning, on top of which has come increased costs, especially those associated with fuel, officials tell us their forecast for 2005 is "pessimistic". It is difficult to keep the moral amongst our fishermen at a level that will encourage them to stay on in the industry until either "Net Benefits" of withdrawal from the CFP offers a lifeline. It should be noted that while "Net Benefits" recommendation 4 calls for further reduction in the fleet, which was initially greeted by some sections of the fleet with dismay, the fact remains there is a thirst for more decommissioning amongst our fishermen. "Net benefits" has much to live up to.

17 November 2004





 
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