21 May 2024

A report produced by Macduff Ship Design and Fisheries Innovation Scotland (FIS) have released a report taking a practical look at decarbonising the UK fishing fleet, this time comparing hydrogen fuel as an option to deliver net-zero fishing vessels. With support from Marine Fund Scotland, the report titled “Net Zero Vessels Concept Design Project, Stage […]

28 Apr 2024

The decision by the Isle of Man government to close three fishing sites in its waters by banning bottom trawling has raised concerns across the Irish Sea. The closed areas are located within the Western Irish Sea Mud-belt, a vital habitat for various marine species, notably langoustines. Despite decades of extensive trawling, the area is […]

18 Apr 2024

The European Union (EU) has started proceedings against the UK under the post-Brexit trade deal dispute settlement mechanism regarding the UK’s decision to prohibit the fishing of sand eel in English waters within the North Sea and all Scottish waters. England and Scotland announced a prohibition on commercial sand eel fishing from March 2024, a move conservationists welcomed. […]

16 Apr 2024

Two reports have been released from the UK government which outline the economic and sustainability outcomes of the annual negotiations for UK fishing opportunities. The ‘Assessing the sustainability of fisheries catch limits negotiated by the UK for 2024’ report from the government’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) details the assessment of negotiated […]

16 Apr 2024

New legislation requiring all under-12 metre vessels fishing in English waters to have an operational inshore vessel monitoring system (I-VMS) device, is just months away from being in place it has been announced. The positional data provided by I-VMS devices will aid in ensuring the sustainability of UK fisheries and provide a more thorough understanding […]

16 Apr 2024

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) in the Isle of Man has introduced new measures to protect three significant fishing sites in its waters by banning bottom trawling. These closed areas are located within the Western Irish Sea Mud-belt (WISMB), a vital habitat for various marine species, notably langoustines. Despite decades of extensive […]

16 Apr 2024

Jerry Percy, Director of the New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association (NUTFA) has announced the forthcoming closure of the organisation that has represented the under ten sector of the industry for many years. A Difficult Decision The non-profit organisation has worked for the under 10m and non-sector at local, UK and EU levels, for quota and […]

02 Apr 2024

Although established indicators enable managers to monitor progress toward ending “overfishing” and “Illegal Unreported or unregulated (IUU) fishing”, there is no globally agreed definition or indicator for “destructive fishing”. The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) recommends: “States should prohibit dynamiting, poisoning and other comparable destructive fishing practices” (art. 8.4.2)”. However, a review […]