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SeaFAR Action Plan (Sea Fisheries Advisory and Reference Group)
Turning principles into actions and implementing the Sustainable Framework for Scottish Sea Fisheries is an important first step. This poster provides a summary of the commitments outlined in the full Action Plan booklet.
SeaFAR Group 26 September 2006
Implementing the Sustainable Framework for Scottish Sea Fisheries. Turning Strategy into Actions.
Sustainable: A Sustainable Industry nurtures the marine resources on which it depends by playing its part to safeguard the marine ecosystem, so these resources can benefit future generations as part of a thriving and biologically diverse marine environment.
6 Month Commitment
- Be guided by this action plan's approaches in developing the UK position in negotiations of fishing opportunities. [ SEERAD]
- Continue to apply current management arrangements for pelagic stocks, maintain the herring fishery through current poor recruitment, including through appropriate cuts in TACs [ SEERAD and CATCHERS]
- Convene the Scottish Scallop Advisory Committee [ SSAC] to develop an initial stock management strategy and consider the development of a commercial strategy for Scottish scallops [ SEERAD]
- Explore effort limitation to keep harvests at current rates, trial options to improve whitefish selectivity and with Processors, explore scope to introduce flexibility to increase mesh sizes in the Nephrops fisheries [ SEERAD and CATCHERS]
- Aim to negotiate new management arrangements for North Sea Haddock [ SEERAD]
- Continue to work together to improve knowledge and understanding of monkfish fisheries
[ FRS and CATCHERS] - Establish a pilot industry/science partnership programme [ FRS and CATCHERS]
- Explore sustainability accreditation, looking, in particular at costs and benefits for the whole supply chain, linkages with the CFP and other regulatory frameworks, the accreditation process, and the potential to give recognition to progress towards sustainability. [ SEERAD, SEAFISH, CATCHERS, PROCESSORS and ENVIRONMENTAL INTERESTS]
- Explore whether sectors of the Scottish industry might be suitable candidates for pre- assessment under MSC certification and convene fisheries specific meetings involving MSC where appropriate. [ SEERAD, CATCHERS and PROCESSORS]
- Support any applications for sustainability accreditation by ensuring that certifying bodies are fully aware of the progress the Scottish fishing sector is making under this action plan and in its own right and by giving favourable consideration to applications for support for sustainability accreditation under FIFG. [ SEERAD]
- Promote the Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme, in its own right and as a stepping stone to accreditation. Discuss with the MSC how to ensure that the Seafish scheme and MSC accreditation are mutually reinforcing in the Scottish context [ SEERAD and SEAFISH]
18 Month Commitment
- Work together to improve the reliability of the pelagic stock assessment [ FRS and CATCHERS]
- Develop a further package of measures to improve the management of the Scottish scallop fisheries [ SSAC and with the help of FRS, SNH, the INDUSTRY and ENVIRONMENTAL INTERESTS], work together to reduce or mitigate any impact of scallop dredging on known sensitive marine areas in Scottish waters
- Develop knowledge about the Nephrops fisheries [ FRS and CATCHERS] and encourage the IFGs to increase minimum landing sizes for Nephrops where locally appropriate [ SEERAD and SIFAG]
- Research discarding and by-catch levels in haddock fisheries [ FRS] to aid selectivity and protection for juveniles
- Explore mechanisms to cap effort in the monkfish fisheries, if this means TACs can be increased to improve data collection [ SEERAD and CATCHERS]
- Support the urgent development of a revised cod recovery plan [All Stakeholders]
- Work with the other UK Fisheries Administrations to ensure that agreements reached on EU eco-labelling standards are appropriate for Scotland [ SEERAD]
- Work with retailers to take stock of the appropriateness of MSC for Scottish fisheries and engage with MSC to ensure its principles and criteria continue to allow the Scottish sea fishing sector to capitalise on progress made under this action plan. [ SEERAD, CATCHERS, PROCESSORS and ENVIRONMENTAL INTERESTS]
3 Year Commitment
- Aim to improve the international management frameworks for the pelagic stocks [CATCHERS and SEERAD]
- Working through SSAC, improve scallop gear to reduce environmental impact and operating costs [CATCHERS and SEAFISH] Improve knowledge about scallop recruitment.[ [ FRS, SNH and CATCHERS]
- Encourage IFGs to guard against localised depletion of Nephrops grounds and resolve tensions between different users of the fisheries at local level [ SEERAD and SIFAG]
- Quantify the environmental impacts of Nephrops fishing through spatial mapping [ FRS and CATCHERS]
- Establish a long-term industry/science partnership [ SEERAD, FRS and CATCHERS]
- Take the steps required, to fulfil Scotland's Natura 2000 obligations and work towards the 2010 OSPAR commitment for a network of marine protected areas [ SEERAD, CATCHERS and ENVIRONMENTAL INTERESTS]
The industry can adapt and change to meet the challenge to secure a thriving future for Scottish Sea Fisheries.
Profitable: A Profitable Industry is efficient, market focussed and entrepreneurial and maximises the return from every fish by delivering a safe, quality and globally competitive product.
Well Managed: A Well Managed Industry is socially responsible, plays by the rules, is influential and influencing, and fully involved in effective regulation of the sector.
6 Month Commitment
- Advocate a new quota management system which supports the needs of the Scottish industry and urge that the programme be accelerated towards completion by March 2007. [Scottish representatives on the Quota Management Change Programme Consultative Group]
- Explore ways of reducing the costs of leasing days at sea within the fleet [ SEERAD and CATCHERS]
- Work together to identify options for improvements in engine efficiency and gearing technology to reduce fuel costs and develop support programmes to enable these innovations to be taken up by the catching sector [ SEERAD, SEAFISH and CATCHERS]
- Work together to promote the adoption of fuel efficient and environmentally friendly fishing gears and methods and investigate funding required to stimulate change [ SEERAD, SEAFISH, SNH CATCHERS and ENVIRONMENTAL INTERESTS]
- Work with all sectors to promote a strong focus on establishing an industry that can work together, share best practices and co-operate to achieve a competitive advantage in the marketplace [SEAFISH, SCOTTISH ENTERPRISE and SEERAD]
- Promote further uptake of the advanced landings website and ensure adequate funding is in place to maintain it [ SEERAD, SEAFOOD SCOTLAND and CATCHERS]
- Encourage the introduction of electronic auctions to enhance the transparency of markets for fishery products [ SEERAD, SEAFOOD SCOTLAND and CATCHERS]
- Analyse the Scottish seafood supply chain in order to promote more supply chain coherence [SEAFISH]
18 Month Commitment
- Enhance the Seafish fleet and vessel economic models to enable SEERAD, Catchers and Processors to make assessments of fleet structure at appropriate intervals [SEAFISH]
- Explore how to improve fuel efficiency so as to improve profitability and environmental sustainability [ SEERAD, SEAFISH and CATCHERS]
- Work together to consider where savings in supply chain distribution costs can be made, including amalgamation of cold storage [PROCESSORS and SCOTTISH ENTERPRISE]
- Consider options for maximising the value of waste and reducing environmental impact [SEAFISH and PROCESSORS]
- Consider how the fisheries sector can capitalise on opportunities for joint working with the wider food and drink sector and how it can contribute to the vision of the Scottish Executive's Food and Drink Strategy [ SEERAD, SEAFISH, SCOTTISH ENTERPRISE, SCOTTISH FOOD AND DRINK INDUSTRY STRATEGY GROUP and the SCOTTISH FOOD AND DRINK FEDERATION]
3 Year Commitment
- Examine current models for stronger community partnership in fishing communities [Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Executive]
6 Month Commitment
- Provide financial and administrative support to the RACs [ SEERAD]
- Start a series of events to ensure scientific priorities for the coming year reflect stakeholders' views [ SEERAD and FRS]
- Introduce a system of electronic logbooks and sales notes to strengthen ability to take action on landings and sales [ SEERAD]
- Continue to work proactively with SEERAD on policy development [CATCHERS, PROCESSORS and ENVIRONMENTAL INTERESTS]
- Develop a programme of regular stakeholder liaison at local and national level; Catchers' Leaders to actively promote participation [ SFPA]
- Step-up communication with stakeholders, including agreeing clear ground rules for dialogue and decision making, in particular with the SFF, Fishing Associations and others in the catching sector [ SEERAD]
- Promote the merits of the virtuous cycle of good compliance, good data, good science and good prices [ALL]
- Commission a survey of attitudes to regulation in the sector [ SEERAD]
18 Month Commitment
- Participate in the review of the RACs with the aim of strengthening and consolidating their role in the EU fisheries management system [ SEERAD, CATCHERS and ENVIRONMENTAL INTERESTS]
- Roll out Inshore Fisheries Groups ( IFGs) throughout Scotland [ SEERAD and SIFAG]
- Ensure maximum benefit is gained from the EU action plan on CFP simplification and the review of the technical conservation regulations through a steering group involving catchers interests [ SEERAD and CATCHERS]
- Develop codes of best practice to encourage compliance and promote sustainable practices [ SEERAD, SFPA, CATCHERS and PROCESSORS]
- Consult with industry on new regulatory proposals at an early stage [ SEERAD]
3 Year Commitment
- Commission a repeat survey of attitudes to regulation [ SEERAD]
- Support the work of the new Community Fisheries Control Agency to ensure an EU level playing field of enforcement [ SEERAD, SFPA CATCHERS and PROCESSORS]
We will conduct a horizon scanning exercise for the medium to long term directions for both catchers and processors by bringing together a workshop of scientists, economists and industry to make a start on the exercise within 6 months and ensuring that economic modelling at Seafish is compared on a regular basis with fish stock prediction tools being developed by FRS during the next three years.
We are developing specific actions for the Scottish Haddock and Scottish Langoustine sectors. Similar work is in hand for the Pelagic sector.
Scottish Langoustine
6 Month Commitment
- Explore effort limitation in the fishery;
- Seek greater flexibility in the use of wider mesh sizes during the autumn EU negotiations and in the cod recovery review;
- Promote uptake of the Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme; and
- Develop and promote the Advanced Landings Website to incorporate Scottish Langoustine landings.
18 Month Commitment
- Support and encourage use of electronic auctions for Scottish Langoustines.
Scottish Haddock
6 Month Commitment
- Improve the use and usefulness of Seafood Scotland's Advance Landings web site;
- Promote Scottish Haddock through the use of more cross-sector good news stories;
- Promote uptake of Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme and develop an add-on which makes the case for the long-term sustainability of Scottish Haddock;
- Liaise with Seafish on the creation of an up-to-date value added chain for haddock; and
- Undertake a real-cost analysis of the trend over time of catching a box of haddock.
18 Month Commitment
- Investigate the provision of an electronic selling system with real time link-up between vessels and processors and investigate compatibility with e-logbooks;
- Encourage the development of new product lines; and
- Look to optimise the landing patterns of haddock.
From Net to Plate
We will monitor progress both on Actions and Real Life issues such as labour trends in fishing communities, fish stock health, trends in condition of marine food chains and protected areas and attitudes to regulation and rates of compliance.
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