NFFO – FISHING MUST NOT BE IGNORED OUT OF EXISTENCE

NFFO – fishing must not be ignored out of existence. Mike Cohen, the chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), says one of the most important tasks facing the industry is ensuring that fishing has a positive perception among both politicians and the public.

Writing in the 2024 edition of the NFFO Yearbook and Diary, Mr Cohen says the industry has a track record of being ignored by Government when it comes to important issues such as the spatial squeeze created by other marine users arriving on the scene, and on negotiations on relationships between the UK and its main trading partners.

Mr Cohen says:

“Fishing should not be ignored. We have a compelling case to make – a story to tell of which we can be justly proud. We provide healthy, low carbon food that people can afford; provide jobs in places where there are few; provide a sense of continuity, opportunity and pride to people and communities.

“This is one of the NFFO’s most important tasks: to change how people think about our industry.”

In his article, Mr Cohen also says:

“We continue to have the usual wrangles around interpreting ICES advice and setting TACS and quotas. As the seas warm and stocks move, however, the parameters of those decisions are changing. We even have a new fishery to explore and develop thanks to the bluefin tuna trial in the Southwest.

“As the UK has crawled towards its exit from the EU Common Fisheries Policy, aspirations, promises and hopes have steadily fallen by the wayside. Too much has already been written and said about how badly we were failed when a deal was finally reached. Something new was promised, but in the end far too much stayed the same.

“Even in that unwelcome continuity, though, there were elements of genuinely positive change. The implementation of Fisheries Management Plan agenda has its flaws – consultation is meaningless if the people with the most to lose don’t feel properly listened to – but the move to involve fishermen in fisheries management is one that many of us have advocated for years.

“This is important, because it means that the people with the power to take decisions about the sea are, at the very least, acknowledging that we are here and that we are worth listening to.

“Without that change, the risk is that – despite our centuries of existence as an industry – we will simply be ignored out of existence.”

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