The infamous landing obligation

The infamous landing obligation

Expected effects on crew and Safety of a Landing Obligation

A Dutch Mixed Fisheries Point of View

Sectorraad Visserij Symposium IJmuiden3 October 2013Pim Visser, chief executive VisNed

Sectorraad Safety in Sea Fisheries Symposium, IJmuiden, 3 October 2013bald 2

Fifteen minutes after sleep information!

My first challenge is to prevent you from dozing off after a sleep professor!

And get a critical positive message across

Sectorraad Safety in Seafisheries Symposium3 Oktober 2013Pim Visser, chief executive VisNed


What can we learn from these Danish and Dutch trains?


They are supposed to run but they don’t

• Some clippings:– Ambitiously designed – Procured according to the rules– Full of non proven techniques– Politics loaded with hindsight knowledge– Opinions of experienced railway people politely ‘ignored– Hundreds of millions €uros spent

• Because they are not fit for purpose


About VisNed

National Association of Producer Organisations in Dutch Demersal Fisheries.

Majority of NL flatfish and brown shrimp landings

Fishermen with a future

bald 6 Sectorraad Safety in Sea Fisheries Symposium, IJmuiden, 3 October 2013

VisNed’s mission

• Stable Conditions• Sustainable Operations• Predictable Costs and Returns

Fishermen with a future

bald 7 Sectorraad Safety in Sea Fisheries Symposium, IJmuiden, 3 October 2013

Changed circumstances

• Natura 2000 at Sea• European Maritime Framework Directive• MSC certification• Innovative gear developments• Labour legislation

– Participation in Sectorraad


Small scale brown shrimp fisheries


Traditional beamtrawl with tickler chains


Low impact beam trawl with pulse gear


Twin rigged otter trawl


Scottish seine net or fly shoot


Traditional Fishing Areas


A lesson: From Management disaster to co-management• Top down approach with Individual Quota• Wish from IQ to ITQ repressed by government

– By pass lead to legalisation– Lawlessness got out of hand– Grey fish circuit developed into perfection

• Industry and Government in a complete deadlock– Jointly developed co management as answer– Successful since 1993– Compliance is the norm


CFP has brought us (in Holland)good and bad

• Good– Improved Fisheries Management in joint Sea Basins– Internationalisation of fisheries and RAC’s– Fleet capacity managed

• Bad– Micro management

• leading to discards• leading to rigor mortis instead of flexibility

– Broad brush approach is never specific– Attitude of Euro conformity of our Member State


Fishing pressure has also plumeted with us


Industry back to the level of the mid 60’s

• With less than half the vessles• With less than half the employment• With estimated average age of crew 10 years plus• With education levels of crews increased• With crew earnings down

– Lower price– Higher vessel costs– Higher personal pension and insurance costs – Wage difference with shore jobs reduced– Other maritime sectors want fishermen as crew


Call for a discards ban

• As a way out of micro management creating discards– Fisherman do not want to throw away marketable fish

• Prime attention: by celebrities and NGO’s with media propaganda– ‘Power to the people’ by pushing the ‘like’ buttons?!?– Simplification of slogans with dangerous populism

• Lobby funded by wealthy US well doers• Blanket approach: cosy, warm and simple• Looking at problems from an ‘aviators perspective’• Like a bad Heineken: Much froth far less content• EP influence on decision process enormous

• Will the baby flush out with the bath water after implmenting?– A micro managed discards ban is looming over the horizon– Fishermen are scared this will mean the end of their fleet


Discards ban from tool to purpose in it self• At NSRAC Vigo 2008 we proposed a landing obiligation for cod

– Member states were opposed (too far out of the box)– Commission considered it ‘daring’ but backed off– NGO’s did not comprehend– Colleagues were against because of practicalities

• We thougt it could be a useful tool– But so is a knife

• both in the hands of a surgeon and of a murderer

• In the public publicity domain– Simplified slogans seemingly not interested in practicalities– Industry proposals politely sabotaged


Reasons for returning our by-catch to the sea

• Rules– Catch composiiton– Quota distribution

• Solving these self created probems will reduce unwanted catches

• Mixed fisheries techniques– Paper vs Cardboard

• Sole allows a maximum mesh size of 80 mm• Plaice and others require a minimum mesh size of 120 mm

• Solving this equasion will reduce unwanted by catches!– Slectivity and survivability are the unknowns


Quota aspects

• Dutch Senior Government official:– This measure shall not reduce fleet’s possibilities to fish

• How do we get from landing to catch quota– TAC must therefore be = Removals

• Increase according to relative stability based on landing quota– High discards fisheries have a disadvantage

• TAC setting depends on EU Norway negotiations• Associated species are returned because of too low TAC

– Unavoidable catch, ‘the things happen to swim’– Low value fish will become Choke species

• Required Dab landing quota six-fold of today’s

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Logistics and costs

• Size of fishhold becomes limiting factor• Over filling is a safety hazard

• Will modern efficient handling(mincing and pumping)be allowed?• Extra foreign (non EU) crews

• No cabin space, shared cabins/bunks• At least 30% increase in crewing> dilluting share wages• Expensive quota must now be used to land no value fish

• Who secures investments in portside buffer storage?– Don’t ‘bring good money to evil causes’

– Net cost Dutch demersal fleet > € 15.000.000 per annum– Viability of the industry is at stake


Compliance and control

• Poor people are less likely to comply– Low wages fertilize corruption– Crews do not want their wages diluted– Owners can not bear extra costs without benefits– Expensive quota will be insufficient, choke species will occur

• CCTV control is technically impossible– Technical problems and checking of images– Full time observers are not available and far too expensive

• Success builds upon Joint responsibility and Self Control– Acceptance is condition sine qua non– Do not rely on repressive ‘Istanbulian solutions’– Rather offer a carrot instead of a stick


What next And now

Carry on Turn away

Make impossibilities possible

Don’t cry Be courageous

Throw the problems over the fenceThrow them back

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So what is next on our landing obligation to do list

• Avoid, Minimise Incentivise

• Get practical fishermen on board– Not only the skippers

• Select and reward early adapters– Alter fishing patterns to reduce discards– Increase selectivity of 80 mm fishery– Incentivise for results based approach

• Do not (threaten to) make a repression plan yet


We require policy makers and working parties to

• Steer away from the icon function (please come back to reality)

• Steer away from a goal in it self (keep your purpose in mind)

• Use your imagination to give small fish a chance– Steer towards increased selectivty and survival rates– Steer towards maximum sustainable methods– Fish belongs in the sea or on a plate


Increase selectivity and survival rates

• Out of the box program to increase selectivity– No detailed technical measure restrictions– Full steam ahead– Involved fishermen are highly motivated

• Any catch with (a degree) of survivability may return to sea– Same as in Norway– Our tests are complex but we are motivated– Must be proven and do we have enough time?


Resulting in a dream or a self fulfilling prohecy

• Huge leep forward in sustainability– Improved selectivity– Improved survival

• Will keep us in the forefront of compliance• Increased societal acceptance

• Proud fishermen• Proud politicians• Satisfied civil servants

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A long and winding road ahead

Using common sense at implementation will lead to happy workers and increased safety!

My Dutch Mixed Fisheries Conviction!

Sectorraad Visserij Symposium IJmuiden3 October 2013Pim Visser, chief executive VisNed


Documents

The infamous landing obligation