Page 5 - NFF News November 2019

Ken’s Column
Another report from the former NFF President
Dear Reader,
As this year will be coming to an end soon, and as this newsletter is the final one for 2019, I think it’s a very good time to reflect on a little of what has been going on during the last 12 months.Alothasbeenhappening inworldpolitics, muchhasbeenhappeninginAmerica and in Russia, and not a day goes by that we continue to see the constant trouble in Hong Kong. The continuing strife between Israel and Palestine seems to have no end.
Nearer to home I don’t need to remind any of you that a suitable solution to the Brexit referendum of 2016
is no nearer to being resolved. Back then, 17.4 million people voted to leave and so far, after three years
we are no further on, and to leave on 31st October as promised by Boris Johnson is so unlikely. Mind
you, by the time you receive this newsletter (being prepared in mid October) much could have happened.
Some of you might wonder what Brexit has to do with us as fishmongers. Yes I know that we’re a small
cog in the scheme of things, but as fishmongers we are still an important sector of the fish trade. The
basic foundation of the UK fishing industry relies on our fishermen, who for 40 years have been locked into the
Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), with their quotas sadly controlled from Brussels, being allocated only 40% of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) in our own
seas. On leaving the EU it was the intention of the UK to become a COASTAL STATE and take back total control of our own fishing grounds and then to grant access and quota to the other fishing EU countries with the UK in charge, as it should be.
There are now so many Remainers in parliament, and also in the civil service in Whitehall, who have completely disregarded the democratic wish of 17.4 million Leave voters. I now fear that history could repeat itself (to get a Brexit deal) as in 1973, when Ted Heath used our valuable fishing grounds as a ‘’bargaining chip’’ to get into the Common Market: that sort of outcome to keep us in the EU in my opinion would be disastrous.. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), in a recent report is removing the “kite mark’’ for north sea cod sustainability, and are suggesting a 70% reduction in the cod quota as part of a recovery program. The MSC awarded cod their blue tick eco label just two years ago, but now the conservation organisation has indicated it was taking cod off the menu to protect the stock.
This controversial and unpopular decision is being met with some doubt by the fishermen’s organisations who are unconvinced that the decline in cod stocks is caused by overfishing. Yet the MSC are quite clear in their report that cod stocks are below safe biological levels. The causes of the decline are unclear, but scientists suggest it may be a result of factors such as warming waters driven by climate change.
Whatever the cause, cod, the most popular fish for fish and chips south of the border appears to be under pressure, not for too long I hope. Hey ho! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• It never fails to amaze me how much research is given over to improving the husbandry of farmed fish. This new research project is being led by the Scottish seafood firm Dawnfresh – one of the UK’s largest rainbow trout producers-and Stirling’s University Institute of Aquaculture, also Kames Fish Farming is one of the partners behind this new project aimed at unlocking the potential of farmed rainbow trout.
Rainbow trout is the second most produced finfish by volume on UK fish farms after salmon, and are troubled by early stage mortality in the young fish. The fish are too small to undergo injection of a protective vaccine and this new research is piloting a means of a dipping vaccine combined with good husbandry which will protect the young fish until they are large enough to fend for themselves.
This is a further example how well the industry and academia can work together to solve some of the biggest problems facing aquaculture and to find solutions to improve the farming of this species. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Dr Georgina Robinson is an outstanding marine scientist who is carrying out research at Dunstaffnage near Oban on an unusual sea creature: the sea cucumber. I’ve never tried one, but I do understand they are very popular in Asia and in the Middle East. The sea cucumber has been referred to as a super food, as it is high in protein, low in fat and rich in vitamins and minerals.
Dr Robinson’s research is funded for six years from a grant of £1.2m gifted by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to explore the capture of Nitrogen from agriculture and aquaculture waste. The captured Nitrogen, which is too valuable to be lost into the atmosphere, will be used as a food for sea cucumbers and marine worms-so called deposit feeders-these can then be farmed as a high protein food for humans and livestock.
I don’t think I’ll be around to share farmed sea cucumbers, but they could become a valuable food of the future.
As this is the last Newsletter for 2019, let me wish you dear reader every success for the future. I do hope that your festive trade is good and that the new year of 2020 will be a good one for you. Happy New Year.
Ken Watmough.
November2019 5