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Outer Hebrides fisheries management pilot reports successful first year
A locally-led fisheries management pilot for the Outer Hebrides is reporting positive impacts on fishing businesses and the environment in its first year, a new report reveals.
The Outer Hebrides Inshore Fisheries Pilot is co-managed by the Regional Inshore Fisheries Group (RIFG) and the Marine Scotland Directorate of the Scottish Government. The Pilot limits the number of creels that commercial fishing vessels may deploy in the waters around the isles. The aim of this is to improve the management of shellfish stocks in area, enabling future generations to benefit from a resource that remains of vital importance to this island community.
The Pilot is also testing one possible approach to a low-cost vessel tracking solution for small inshore fishing vessels. This is being trialled aboard 40 vessels and builds on the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Integrated Data System (SIFIDS) project led by the University of St Andrews.
Fishers in the Outer Hebrides continue to express strong support for the Pilot and are observing positive impacts on their fishing businesses.
Donald MacLennan, a Skipper for the Valhalla based in Harris said:
“It’s been a challenging time in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and the Ukraine conflict, and the rising cost of fuel, creel and nephrops catches are particular concerns.
“However, in spite of these challenges, the first year of the Pilot has worked fewer creels and reduced time at sea, leading to a significant improvement in our gross income.
“I believe the Pilot proves that with creel fishing, less can be more.”
Duncan MacInnes, Secretary of the Western Isles Fisherman’s Association (WIFA), said:“The Pilot has brought a sense of stability to the fleet, especially in relation to uncontrolled creel fishing.
“The initial success has been encouraging to the members of WIFA and we would like to see an extension of the initiative to cover a much larger area of the Western Isles.”
The Pilot will continue with vessel tracking until October 2022. An evaluation and qualitative assessment of the Pilot project will be conducted throughout 2022 to assess the social and economic impacts of the Pilot, and provide insights and recommendations into future projects.
Further information:- The RIFG network offers a national forum to inshore fishers, allowing them to lead the way in proposing management projects for the fisheries on which they rely, and providing a strong voice in the shared marine space.
- Outer Hebrides Inshore Fisheries Pilot – Year One Report – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
- Inshore fishing extends from the coast out to 12 nautical miles, with three quarters of the approximately 2,000 active Scottish boats fishing primarily in these waters. Typically these are smaller boats – 8-10 meters in length.
- Shellfish, such as crab, lobster and Nephrops are the main target species.
- Marine Scotland Launch of inshore fisheries pilot – Marine Scotland (blogs.gov.scot)
- Marine Scotland Supporting a new approach to fisheries management – Marine Scotland (blogs.gov.scot)
- Future Fisheries Management Strategy
The post Outer Hebrides fisheries management pilot reports successful first year appeared first on Marine Scotland.
Guillemots on rocks
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Collection of guillemots on rock
Photo by Ian Wilson
Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm during construction. The Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm is a wind farm close to the Beatrice oil field in the Moray Firth, 13 km off the north east coast of Scotland.
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Bottlenose dolphins swimming
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Bottlenose dolphins swimming near ship
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Black-legged kittiwake
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Black-legged kittiwake
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Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm during construction. The Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm is a wind farm close to the Beatrice oil field in the Moray Firth, 13 km off the north east coast of Scotland.
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Puffin perched on rock
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Puffin perched on rock
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Prepared BSW images
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PrePARED BSW images
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Guillemots at Cove, Aberdeen
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View of Guillemots at Cove, Aberdeen
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Grey Heron
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Grey heron
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Gannet taking off
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Gannet taking off from the water
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Fish tracking receivers
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Fish tracking receivers set and ready to go
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Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm
Marine Scotland Image Bank posted a photo:
The Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm is a wind farm close to the Beatrice oil field in the Moray Firth, 13 km off the north east coast of Scotland.
Photo by Jack Lucas, Marine Scotland
:copyright: Crown Copyright
Beatrice offshore wind farm during construction
Marine Scotland Image Bank posted a photo:
Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm during construction. The Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm is a wind farm close to the Beatrice oil field in the Moray Firth, 13 km off the north east coast of Scotland.
:copyright: Crown Copyright
Beatrice offshore wind farm during construction
Marine Scotland Image Bank posted a photo:
Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm during construction - August 2018
The Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm is a wind farm close to the Beatrice oil field in the Moray Firth, 13 km off the north east coast of Scotland.
:copyright: Crown Copyright
Scottish fishing technology adopted as new global standard
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has agreed to adopt a new Scottish-designed fishing technology as the new international standard for co-ordinated demersal fish population surveys in the North Sea.
The Marine Scotland Directorate of the Scottish Government co-operated with international partners – the International Bottom Trawl Survey Working Group (IBTSWG) – to successfully develop this innovation, which assists in calculating accurate fish stock data, and feeds into the ICES fisheries monitoring and management process and supports the sustainable management of our seas.
The new fishing technology incorporates advances in net design and fishing technology gained over the decades.
Key design changes compared to the old system are:
Lemon Sole, a type of demersal fish thats caught using this method.
- reduction in net mesh sizes (from 200mm to 100mm), and
- new light ground gear.
Overall it provides a robust package which is more efficient, resilient and cost effective, as well as delivering consistent catches and better fish population estimates.
The new fish survey trawl package will replace the Grand Opening Vertical (GOV) survey model used since 1980, after it was recognised as no longer fit for purpose. A road map has been agreed to enable a smooth transition to the new technology, making sure there is no impact on surveyance of yearly fish stocks. It is hoped this transition will be completed within three years.
Further information:
- Demersal fish are also known as ground fish and live on or near the bottom of the sea / lakes (the demersal zone). Examples include: Atlantic cod, herring, plaice and turbot.
- ICES is an intergovernmental marine science organisation which meets to provide impartial evidence on marine research, and advise member nation governments and international regulatory commissions on the health of fish stocks and the sustainable use of the world’s seas and oceans.
The post Scottish fishing technology adopted as new global standard appeared first on Marine Scotland.
Assessing climate change impacts on the water quality of Scottish standing waters
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