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| Does the Cornish Fishing industry have a future? |
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Page 2 of 2 He says: “The Common Fisheries Policy is one of the most rubbish policies ever envisaged – but we need common policies.” Despite this, Andrew believes that providing Cornish fisherman continue to work with the scientists, the prospects for their industry are good. Eddy Derriman, who works on the Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee, has a key role in managing Cornish fish stocks within the 6-mile limit. His team do 700 boardings a year, enforcing net sizes and minimum landing sizes. A former fisherman, who went to sea at 15, he emphasises: “I’m not here for the commercial fisherman, or the angler, or the seal or bird that eats the fish – I’m here for the fish.” Above all, he says, we need to avoid a ‘tragedy of the commons’ with fish stocks exploited to extinction. “We’re trying to restrict exploitation in a way that stocks can be maintained or enhanced – and that’s a very inexact science. We’re working from indicators. Our understanding of the dynamics of the stock, and even what stocks are, is uncertain, and in this part of the world we have 50-odd commercial species,” he said. Eddy has seen the amount of pots and fixed gear used by Cornish fishermen increase threefold in 10 years. “Yet the amount of fish landed hasn’t increased to the same degree, which gives off warning signals we’re at maximum effort. Stock collapse happens very rapidly if biomass drops to a situation where there is no reasonable chance for fish in breeding condition to met each other,” added Eddy. So what are the options? “We can do nothing and let people exploit the fisheries until they become uneconomic – then there’s a real danger stocks will crash. We can continue to try and manage them in the way we’re doing, but in a way this is stretching the time until the inevitable happens. Better still, if we see a species in danger, all exploitation on stocks should stop,” said Eddy. “We also have a moral duty to think about people’s livelihoods. Balance is the thing all the way through. “DEFRA are saying the fishing industry is not as economically efficient as it could be. There’s this blue skies view that if we get the majority of the fleet working to the most economic benefit, it’s to the benefit of everyone. Big vessels, computerised, with small crews – certain companies strive for that already. “Yet there’s a recognition that sometimes it is better, particularly in small coastal communities, for quite inefficient methods to be used. For a start, the money goes to more people.” Eddy says quotas help control the ever-increasing demands on fish stocks, but have become counter-productive in Cornwall, which has multi-species fisheries. If the quota runs out on one species, it continues to be caught as the inevitable, unintended by-catch of other species, and has to be thrown back dead. Looking forward, Eddy takes a cautiously optimistic view of the Cornish fishing industry. “It’s perhaps a cliché to say young people are the lifeblood of the future. I’m constantly amazed by the vision some of them have, in excess of their years,” he said. “It’s still the most dangerous job in the country, there are still too many people killed and maimed, it’s still the hardest way to make a living. Yet I say, long may it continue – my heart’s still there, with the last of the hunters. “The one thing with fishermen is, you’ve got to be an optimist. If you’re a pessimist, you’d never go. You have to be looking forward to every net, every haul. You don’t dwell on the bad days. “Because I’m an optimist, I have to say that given a bit of luck, some careful management and discussion, the future of fish stocks I wouldn’t say is assured, but hopefully it will still be good.” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> FACTFILE UK Sea Fisheries Statistics (published August 2006 by the Marine Fisheries Agency – MFA; statistics for 2005) UK fishing vessels (excluding Channel Islands and Isle of Man) – total: 6,341 UK fishing vessels, over 10 metres: 1,508 Newlyn licensing district fleet, over 10 metres: 116 (the third-largest in the UK) UK fishing vessels, 10 metres and under: 4,833 Newlyn licensing district fleet 10 metres and under: 525 (the largest in the UK) Cornish FPO membership: 7.1 % of total UK fleet over 10 metres (the second-largest FPO in the UK after the Scottish FPO) Fishermen in the UK: 12,649 (2004: 13,453) Fishermen in the South West: 1,020 (2004: 1124) Sea fish landed by the UK fleet (UK and abroad): 708,000 tonnes, worth £571 million Landings into Newlyn by UK vessels: Bass: 14 tonnes, worth £89,000 Cod: 178 tonnes, worth £389,000 Hake: 415 tonnes, worth £1.4 million Lemon sole: 242 tonnes, worth £922,000 Megrims: 957 tonnes, worth £3.3 million Monk or Anglers: 1,195 tonnes, worth £2.7 million Pollack (Lythe): 883 tonnes, worth £1.3 million Skates and Rays: 356 tonnes, worth £489,000 Sole: 260 tonnes, worth £2 million Pilchards: 203 tonnes, worth £79,000 Crabs: 515 tonnes, worth £921,000 Scallops: 299 tonnes, worth £372,000 All species: 7,604 tonnes, worth £17.6 million | ||||