DEFRA - Charting a New Course

Charting a New Course

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PB 11300

Introduction

1. We are changing the way we manage fisheries and develop fisheries policy. Securing the Benefits, the joint response from the UK Fisheries Administrations to the Prime Minister s Strategy Unit report Net Benefits, presented a new way forward for a thriving fishing industry that supports a healthy and flourishing marine environment.
2. Charting a New Course sets out how we will achieve this in England, working with our stakeholders.
3. Delivery of the actions in Charting a New Course will meet the aim and objectives agreed among the Fisheries Administrations in the UK:

Aim

A fishing sector that is sustainable, profitable and supports strong local communities, managed effectively as an integral part of coherent policies for the marine environment

To ensure that To secure the To ensure that To promote To provide To promote To tackle social fisheries management stocks are sustainable conditions in high levels of exclusion and management of fish stocks fished at fisheries which the confidence in promote long

within the UK as an biologically consistent with fishing industry the fishing term prosperity is seen as an important sustainable a diverse and is profitable in industry that in communities

example of best renewable levels and resilient marine the long term, lead to long traditionally practice resource, discards are environment competitive, in term dependent on harvested to minimised both global and investment in the fishing

optimise long local markets to innovation and industry term economic the benefit of technology

returns producers and

consumers

without the

need for

operating aid

4. The aim and objectives can only be achieved if we and all stakeholders work together.

Why are we changing?

5. We are changing:

¥ To ensure that all our fisheries work supports the delivery of the aim and objectives in Securing the Benefits.

¥ To implement, within fisheries management, the five principles of the UK framework for sustainable development: One Future Different Paths:

¥ Living within environmental limits.

¥ Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society.

¥ Achieving a sustainable economy.

¥ Promoting good governance.

¥ Using sound science responsibly.

¥ To develop, in collaboration with the other UK Fisheries and Environment Departments and stakeholders, responses to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution report Turning the Tide on the impact of fisheries on the marine environment and to the fisheries recommendations in the Review of Marine Nature Conservation.

¥ To take account of Defra s Review of Marine Fisheries and Environmental Enforcement (the Bradley Report).

¥ To address recommendations from both Net Benefits and the Bradley Report about the inshore and shellfish sectors in England.

¥ To provide leadership and better regulation, together with more focus on outcomes and strengthening of our delivery capacity, in line with Defra s five year strategy.

¥ To deliver continued progress on World Summit for Sustainable Development objectives, including maintaining and restoring fish stocks to maximum sustainable yields.

¥ To ensure that we integrate the messages from Charting Progress: an Integrated Assessment of the State of UK Seas into fisheries management.

6. We are also changing to respond positively to views we gathered in meetings with fishermen between November 2004 and January 2005. We learned a lot and we are grateful to everyone who took part. Inevitably there was a wide range of views and comments. Some were favourable; others negative. Fishermen were critical about the organisations involved in fisheries management and felt that they were treated unfairly compared with fishermen in other EU countries. They wanted more help in understanding complex legislation, accessing grants and filling in forms. They requested more notice about changes in rules and quotas. They believed that the fish were out there and wanted their knowledge and experience to be used in the assessments of fish stocks. We have listened and are making changes to meet fishermen s concerns, including trying to explain Defra s approach better.
7. The next section describes what we are doing, in relation to the objectives set out on page 1, to deliver the commitments made in response to Net Benefits. Actions to manage fisheries within the marine environment will contribute mainly to the first four objectives, and our

work on the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) will address the first five objectives. Modernising fisheries management will focus on the 2nd and 3rd objectives, and our actions on building long term profitability should help deliver the 2nd, 5th, 6th and 7th objectives. Our work on inshore management should contribute to all the stated objectives, and the increased focus

on recreational angling should help address the 1st, 2nd and 7th objectives.

What are we doing?

8. Our main actions are set out below.

Managing fisheries within the marine environment

9. We want to manage fisheries effectively within a healthy and flourishing marine environment, so we will:

¥ Make a substantial input to the Marine Bill to provide the framework to ensure that the marine environment is managed in a more integrated way.

¥ Fund pilot projects to identify effective mechanisms for minimising discards.

Photo: Courtesy of the Marine Fisheries Agency photo library

¥ Grant aid projects to make fishing more environmentally friendly under the new European Fisheries Fund (EFF) between 2007 and 2013.

¥ Develop a workable methodology for applying Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) techniques to fisheries management policy in consultation with stakeholders.

¥ Develop criteria with stakeholders for selection of marine protected areas (MPAs) to increase fish stocks. We will then use these criteria to contribute to the development of an integrated approach to the selection of multi-purpose MPAs, including for wider nature conservation.

¥ Respond to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution report Turning the Tide.

¥ Continue to research and implement measures to reduce cetacean bycatch.

¥ Consider the proposals set out in the

report Science for Sustainable Marine Bio Resources and, jointly with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Scott ish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD), develop an appropriate implementation plan.

Photo: Courtesy of Fiona Mettam, Defra Fisheries Directorate

Towards a more effective Common Fisheries Policy

10. We want to ensure that the CFP delivers the best possible environment for a thriving fishing sector so we will:

¥ Actively support the role of Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) with a long term aim of promoting stakeholder participation and the decentralisation of EU fisheries management and policy development.

¥ Press for the simplification of the CFP, including the rules on technical conservation.

¥ Hold discussions with stakeholders throughout the year in preparation for EU negotiations, especially the December Meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (December Council).

¥ Work with stakeholders and scientists to develop an agreed approach for moving towards large stock strategies for key commercial species.

¥ Set up and manage a network to co-ordinate EU Member State marine fisheries research programmes including filling gaps in research.

Modernising fisheries management

11. We have already created the Marine Fisheries Agency which includes the Sea Fisheries Inspectorate and other delivery teams to strengthen our ability to provide a professional and effective service. We have also re-organised the Fisheries Directorate in Defra, and from April 2006 the fisheries and marine sections in Defra will merge into a single Directorate. We will also:

¥ Appoint on a pilot basis, a Regional Manager for the South West within the new Marine Fisheries Agency, to test the role of Regional Fisheries Managers.

¥ Change quota management arrangements, in consultation with stakeholders, to give more certainty about quota entitlements and to simplify arrangements for trading quota.

¥ Post regular management tables showing uptake of all our quota stocks on the Marine Fisheries Agency website www.mfa.gov.uk

¥ Follow-up Defra s March 2005 Fisheries Science Seminar by identifying better ways of informing stakeholders about our science programme, making better use of fishermen s data in our science, and setting up an advisory group to enable stakeholders to contribute.

¥ Continue to fund the Fisheries Science Partnership with £1million per year until at least March 2008.

¥ Use the results from the Fisheries Science Partnership projects to inform the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea s (ICES) stock advice.

¥ Set up a new fund to respond to emerging research priorities suggested by stakeholders.

¥ Improve transparency, traceability and compliance, for example through the registration of buyers and sellers, electronic logbooks and administrative penalties.

¥ Help people in the industry to develop their business by appointing Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) grants advisers in all regions to provide advice and help fill in forms.

12. Our long term goal is a fishing sector that does more to manage itself and meets the cost of doing so. We are conscious of the current economic pressures on the industry but will consider cost sharing models with the industry alongside the broader changes we are making to secure sustainability and increase profitability.

What are we doing?

Building long term profitability

13. We want to help the industry to be more profitable in the long term. We have already been working with the National Federation of Fishermen s Organisations (NFFO) to identify the scope for simplifying existing regulations in the UK and will take this work forward to reduce the administrative burden on the industry. We are reviewing the Sea Fish Industry Authority (SFIA) and will be considering its future role in light of the comments we receive. We will improve our application of risk management within fisheries management and help the industry to strengthen its capacity to assess and manage risk. This will contribute to it being better prepared to deal with major business threats and a changing business environment, such as the current high fuel prices, and adjust to new circumstances. We will also:

¥ Continue to secure improved compliance by fishermen by adopting a risk-based approach to monitoring, control and surveillance which will include identifying areas at greatest risk of non-compliance and the most vulnerable stocks, and targeting our efforts there. Ways of achieving this will include techniques such as training inspectors in forensic accounting.

¥ In consultation with industry, assess how best to improve the balance between fleet capacity and structure, and available fish stocks.

¥ Work with regional bodies, particularly the Regional Development Agencies, to support local fishing communities.

What are we doing?

Inshore fisheries responding to recommendations 6 & 15 of Net Benefits

14. We have already set up a policy team responsible for coastal waters issues including inshore management and we will:

¥ Consider the options for future inshore management and will take a decision soon. Any new legislation required will be delivered within the framework of the Marine Bill.

¥ Support the development, by the shellfish sector, of an English National Shellfish Industry Strategy.

Recreational angling

15. We have already strengthened angling representation on Sea Fisheries Committees and we will:

¥ Consult on measures to increase the numbers and size of sea bass to benefit both recreational anglers and commercial fishermen.

¥ Provide a central focus for sea angling interests in our Coastal Waters team.

¥ Consider how the costs of a more active approach to managing recreational fisheries can best be shared with sea angling interests.

How are we changing?

16. To deliver these actions we need to continue to change the way we work, especially with stakeholders. We will continue to listen to and talk to a wide range of stakeholders. We will also:

¥ Maintain the partnership of stakeholders that helped us prepare Securing the Benefits and include their views in decision-making.

¥ Listen to fishermen at the coast.

¥ Give information in the clearest simplest way possible.

¥ Encourage a two-way flow of information between fishermen and Defra, for example through surgeries for fishermen run by Port Offices to deal with queries.

¥ Help people in the industry keep up to date with developments and get the best possible warning about changes.

¥ Ensure policy makers spend more time away from their desks listening to stakeholders concerns.

17. We will also continue to work closely with colleagues in Devolved Administrations, other EU Member States, the European Commission and other countries on key

issues to increase co-operation and delivery of shared goals. We aim to be more strategic. We will plan ahead to be better placed to manage changes whenever possible.

Implementation

18. The following implementation plan gives more detail on our actions between now and 2007. We will monitor delivery of our actions, and report annually on progress. We will work with our stakeholders to identify future priorities and actions. Each year we will roll forward the plan.
19. Successful implementation of all of these actions depends on a strong, positive partnership between Defra and its stakeholders. It demands changes in the way that we operate, but also requires changes by stakeholders. Change for the better is under way. We look forward to implementing the actions with all our stakeholders to achieve a thriving fishing industry that supports a healthy and flourishing marine environment.

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Net Benefits: A sustainable and profitable future for UK fishing (March 2004) http://www.strategy.gov.uk/downloads/su/fish/pdf/NetBenefits.pdf

Review of Marine Fisheries and Environmental Enforcement (the Bradley Report) (June 2004) http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/fish-env/consultation.pdf

Review of Marine Nature Conservation: Working Group Report (July 2004) http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/ewd/rmnc/pdf/rmnc-report-0704.pdf

Turning the Tide: Addressing the Impact of Fisheries on the Marine Environment (Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, December 2004) http://www.rcep.org.uk/fisheries/Turningthetide.pdf

Delivering the Essentials of Life: Defra s five-year strategy (December 2004) http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/5year-strategy/5year-strategy.pdf

One Future Different Paths: the UK s shared framework for sustainable development (March 2005) http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/documents/publications/SD%20Framework.pdf

Charting progress: an Integrated Assessment of the State of UK Seas (March 2005) http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/marine/uk/stateofsea/index.htm

Securing the Benefits: the joint UK response to the Prime Minister s Strategy Unit Net Benefits report on the future of the fishing industry in the UK (June 2005) http://www.defra.gov.uk/fish/sea/pdf/securingbenefits.pdf

Science for Sustainable Marine Bio Resources (Natural Environment Research Council, June 2005) http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/marinebio/scoping_study_final_report.pdf

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PB 11300

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