Langos in limbo

Scottish Natural Heritage want it. The Marine Biological Station at Millport wants it. A specialist scientist at Edinburgh University wants it. The WWF wants it. And it seems the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) wants it. But for now the proposal contained in a petition delivered by the Torridon Nephrops Management Group (TNMG) is in committee limbo-land, after some characteristically guarded responses from the Scottish Government and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation.

The TNMG has called on the Scottish Parliament 'to urge the Government to review and pilot the establishment of further spatially separated static gear only inshore fisheries to improve fisheries management.' In other words – to set up more creel-only zones to protect a diminishing stock from the increasingly controversial method of bottom-trawling.

The context of the petition is nothing short of a very big deal. The TNMG is the first ever sustainably-certified fishery in the history of the MSC to be suspended. After 10 years of scientifically-monitored creeling in a voluntary management zone, the measures set up by a coalition of forward-thinking fishermen in Shieldaig, Wester Ross, has been stymied by the group's ‘lack of powers to control the level of fishing effort in the area, especially on the part of boats coming in from the outside.’ This enforcement issue is an essential element of certification – without an effective process to back-up the fishery, you don't get the blue label. Why, after ten years, the Scottish Government hasn't provided the regulatory teeth to support the TNMG, is obviously a pertinent question.

But the tone of the TNMG’s submission is not in any way bitter. Instead it is evidently grateful for the opportunity to share its experience and hopes with the balanced and skilled minds of the Public Petitions Committee. It also recognises as correct the tough decisions taken by the MSC and courteously responds to the SFF’s poorly articulated concerns, one example which we will share here:

SFF concern:
‘The SFF would oppose a statement such as “creel fishing... benign impact on the seabed….. more damaging trawling” with the proposition that certain science would say that creels take a disproportionate amount of females’

TNMG response:
‘...although research on nephrops catches in the Torridon area suggests that more males are caught than females, SFF are right to point to the need for care on this aspect of fisheries management. That is why the creelers signed up to the Torridon Management Agreement undertake to return berried females to the water in good condition. Furthermore, the escape panels fitted to their creels to enable under-size nephrops to escape on the sea-bed would tend to favour the escape of females (which are smaller than the males).’

The TNMG's is a reasoned and measured approach to fisheries management. And the Torridon fishery is perhaps Scotland’s best example of the necessary but painful changes required to safeguard the country’s marine ecosystem resource. It recognises that scientists ‘need to draw on the practical experience of the fishermen and the fishermen need to be open to new and sometimes uncomfortable messages from the scientists.’ This is real communication and compromise, rather than the heel-dragging of established interests perpetuating a status quo for no-one's long-term benefit.

Unfortunately, because of this heel-dragging, a voluntary agreement that is pioneering important management measures for one of Scotland’s most important natural resources is hanging in the balance.

For now the Committee has agreed to write a letter to the Scottish Government ‘seeking a response to specific points’ and to invite another Public Petitions Committee to give ‘further consideration to the petition.’ We can only hope that good sense prevails and Torridon's creel-only zones proposal does not languish in the limbo of behind-the-scenes negotiations.

NB: if you have the time to read them in full, the petition committee submissions provide an excellent insight into the varying stances of those with an interest in fisheries regulation.

FEATURE ARTICLE

Madness in the method
In his op-ed article for last week’s Fishing News, marine lawyer Tom Appleby raises more than just an awkward question about fisheries regulation – he lifts the lid on fifty years of the muddy mismanagement of a public resource.

It’s not an easy subject to get the head around, but currently it is the single-most important mechanism for organising who fishes commercially and how much they fish.

‘Quota’ – as it is known – is the system used by many European countries to control the volume of fish taken from sea. But the UK differs markedly from its European neighbours and for all of the wrong reasons. The legal analysis put forward by Appleby is that being granted a quota in the UK does not actually give you a defensible right. It remains solely at the Minister’s discretion to remove it. This odd arrangement has been going on for five decades, but is now under mounting scrutiny for its apparently undemocratic origins and a growing sense that it has led to a backdoor privatisation of a public resource. If you want to understand one of the most fundamental issues emerging for Scotland's fisheries regulation, COAST urges you to read this.... UK Quota rights - a tricky question

LOCAL NEWS

COAST AGM

The COAST annual general meeting will take place this Thursday 3rd March at the Ormidale Pavilion in Brodick at 7pm. All supporters and those interested in the activities of COAST are encouraged to attend. The AGM will be followed by a talk by Howard Wood. Entitled ‘A view from the Clyde: the reality of fisheries and ecosystem decline,’ it will be similar to the hard-hitting presentation delivered by COAST at the recent Coastal Futures conference in London. Come along if you want an update or to get involved.

COAST on Facebook - it had to happen
The time is nigh. Over the last few years, COAST has been reluctant to wade into the world wide waters of Facebook, largely on the basis of not having enough volunteer time to maintain a site. However, the plunge has now been taken and a brassy COAST Facebook page is up and running, attracting ‘friends’ (supporters) from all over the country and further afield. Hopefully it will help spread the word about what the organisation is doing and maybe even contribute to our finances. Rather than depend exclusively upon grant funding, we hope that micro-donations from supporting individuals and businesses will help fund the many projects that we have on the go.

W-otter picture!
This snap was taken near Clauchlands on the shore of the No Take Zone. The Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984 does not apply to him....


COAST urges 'upskilling' of local authorities
In a response to the government consultation (Scottish Marine Regions - Defining the Boundaries) COAST has highlighted the need for marine-specific planning expertise for local authorities. Click here to read COAST's response to the consultation in full

How time flies...
We’ve recently contributed to a blog on the Observer’s website, updating readers about our progress since winning the Observer Ethical Award for Conservation in 2008. It already feels like a long time ago...!


NATIONAL NEWS

Lochhead's legacy

On the 5th May, the Scottish people will vote in the fourth general election in the history of the Scottish Parliament. Unlike many organisations such as businesses and schools, there are no quarterly reviews or annual reports for the Government, just a big old election which to some extent reflects the performance of those working in the administration.
Fortunately COAST is publishing a school-style report card which summarises the efforts of Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment.

Interesting read in Scottish Field

A hard-hitting article detailing the damaging effects of dredging will be published in this month’s forthcoming edition of Scottish Field. Entitled ‘Shell Shock,’ the article explores a fishing method that is still practiced by 91 boats around Scotland’s coastline, but is unregulated by Brussels and has been banned by countries such as Norway. The magazine should be on the shelves on March 9th.

Fatal dredger incident recalled
Some sad and grim details emerged from the fatal accident inquiry at Fort William sheriff court last week, as the sole survivor of a capsized fishing boat gave evidence. The scallop dredger Aquila snagged on some rocks at Fascadale point in 2009, leading the boat to flip over, killing three of the four crew.

EC will consider wild salmon complaint
Both the Scottish and UK governments have been accused of failing to protect wild salmon from fish farming on Scotland’s west coast. Solicitor to the Salmon and Trout Association’s aquaculture campaign Guy Linley Adams has lodged a complaint with the European Commission on behalf of estate owners in Wester Ross detailing the governments’ failure to designate enough Special Areas of Conservation.

MPA discussion expected at Expo

The Fishing 2011 Expo will take place in Glasgow later this month and is expected to host a presentation by the MPA Fishing Coalition. Representing the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, the coalition's chair said '[w]e have real concerns over the weakness and lack of clarity about the development of these management measures [Marine Protected Areas] and the criteria that are used." Hopefully this will be an opportunity for fishermen and the wider industry to consider more fully the debate and make sense of some of the alarmist responses to MPAs.

'Fishermen need greater input to the science'
A new series of scientific trials to monitor Scottish fish stocks have been pledged by the Scottish Government. Fisheries minister Richard Lochhead summed up a meeting with the First Minister and industry leaders in Aberdeen, by saying “we gave a commitment to focus on getting the scientific evidence to back Scotland’s case for improved fishing opportunities where this can be justified. We all agreed at the meeting that fishermen need greater input to the science.” In a separate announcement inshore fisheries around Orkney and in the Pentland Firth are also due to be the subject of a detailed pilot study carried out by Marine Scotland.


Sea lice - in the news

In the last issue we featured an in-depth article questioning the long-term sense of Scotland's trade deal in farmed salmon with China. It seems that many of COAST's misgivings are shared; see the Guardian's subsequent opinion coverage of the subject 'You are so wrong about salmon, Mr Salmond.' One of the main concerns cited was the impact of sea lice on the wild salmon population. This week COAST's resident ecologist Sally Campbell explains just what exactly a sea louse is and why it is so damaging to salmon - click here for all you need to know....


OVERSEAS NEWS

Damanaki to discuss discards
Following the success of the Big Fish Fight campaign against discards in the UK, Commissioner Damanaki will meet with fisheries ministers, MEPs and the Court of Auditors to discuss discards and catch quotas on March 1st (today) in Brussels. 

Big predator fish in big trouble
Many large predator fish could disappear from our oceans, according to a panel of scientists at the annual meeting American Association for the Advancement of Science. In a wide-ranging presentation about over-fishing and climate change, the issue was pithily summed up by Villy Christensen of University of British Columbia's Fisheries Centre: "Think of it like the Serengeti, with lions and the antelopes they feed on. When all the lions are gone, there will be antelopes everywhere. Our oceans are losing their lions and pretty soon will have nothing but antelopes."

Underwater Astroturf TM?

Football-mad crabs are not demanding better sporting facilities. Nor are rising sea levels forcing FIFA to prepare for subaqua World Cups. The real reason that New Zealand scientists are using fake grass mats on the seabed is actually to prove how New Zealand's fish stocks can be boosted. Over the past 50 years much of New Zealand’s seagrass habitat has been lost due to sediment from land development washing into harbours. Now some enterprising boffins are testing whether artificial grass mats will provide shelter and help survival rates in certain fish stocks. Not a bad idea.

Other news....
...from around our global shores includes research into farming sea cucumbers to clean up aquaculture, a million-dollar abalone sting in Australia, federal scientists apparently saying the obvious in Canada and Costco taking a brave move in America.


A few fishy facts folks should know
6 months – the maximum prison sentence for killing or injuring a seal without a license under the Marine (Scotland) Act
61% - the percentage increase in annual production planned by the Scottish Salmon Company between 2010 and 2013.
54% - the percentage decrease in the world’s large predator fish that has taken place over the past 40 years
28,000 tonnes - the weight of fish discarded by the Scottish fleet in 2009

FISH OF THE MONTH

Again, not really a fish this month. Our detailed 'What is a sea louse?' resource article features as one of the more infamous creatures on this page. The sea louse has a complex life cycle with ten different stages taking the egg to its adult form that is so prolific in the overcrowded conditions of fish farm cages.



Latin name: Lepeophtheirus salmonis
Normal size: up to 1cm long
Diet: the mucus, epidermal tissue and blood of marine fish
Habitat: For the first three stages of its life cycle the sea louse is free swimming and feeds on its own yolk sac. Once the parasite has found its host, the host becomes the habitat, although sea lice will die in freshwater conditions.


THANKS
If you have enjoyed reading this newsletter and feel supportive of C.O.A.S.T.’s work, please get in touch. Like all community organisations, we are run by a small group of dedicated volunteers. If you would like to offer any financial support, you can donate via the website. Alternatively feel free to contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Thank you for reading COAST’s 11th newsletter. We hope you are looking forward to the next month’s edition already.

Coming in the next newsletter:
- A full report from the Fishing Expo 2011
- News from COAST's annual general meeting