Quotas ‘sinking boatmen’
Apr 25 2008 by Jule Wilson, The Journal
FISHERMEN in the North East face bankruptcy unless there are relaxations in North Sea quotas, it was warned last night.
Michael Bould, vice-chairman of the Amble Seine-net and Keelboat Association, has issued the stark warning after what he described as the long-term gross mismanagement of quota allocations for boats of under 10 metres.
Mr Bould, 43, of Amble, Northumberland, said that an oversight by the Government meant that there were not enough allocated stocks of fish left over for small vessels to remain viable.
He said: “This all stems from the fact that historically, small vessels of this size were simply not included in the Government’s calculations of quotas.”
A meeting of people involved in the industry was this week told that the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Marine and Fisheries Agency were unable to facilitate the level of quota management that allowed the fleet to hang on throughout 2007.
He continued: “It affects boats from Hartlepool in the south of the region right up to Eyemouth in Scottish waters, and because Defra and the Marine and Fisheries Agency didn’t accurately include us, which they have unofficially admitted to us, we could lose our livelihoods. The percentages of fish we are talking about isn’t much in terms of quotas when we are competing with vessels above 10 metres, but makes a real difference to the crews involved.”
Mr Bould said the Government had underestimated the amounts of fish needed to keep such businesses afloat when allocating North Sea fishing quotas, due to this insufficient data.
And he said many people were already being driven to the brink. He went on: “I think the most immediate impact has, of course, been a financial one, but people are at the end of their tether. We have had one of the worst prawn seasons on record, partly due to the weather, partly due to a bad catch and partly due to fuel prices and some of these guys are about ready to put a rope around their necks.”
Mr Bould said many local fishermen were resigned to the fact they may have to fight for their future by taking the Government to task legally and said the current amounts of fish small vessels were permitted to catch was insulting.
He said: “We are totally reliant on the Government to manage our quota and they have systematically failed to do so for the last few years.
“It’s not feasible to carry on like this, but these fisheries are sustainable and we will take it to court if we have to.”
Nobody from either the Marine Fisheries Association or Defra was available for comment last night.
