Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay, has welcomed measures announced by the Government today to support fishermen most impacted by the decision to end all quota the pollack.
The changes, which came in place for the UK and EU from January 2024 following recommendations from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas mean that vessels are no longer able to target pollack.
This has caused issues for many Cornish fishermen who have traditionally relied on the fishery.
In response the Government has confirmed that fishermen most affected by the pollack catch ban will be expedited for applications for diversification from the £6million Fisheries and Seafood Scheme, which opens today, with applications received from these fishermen aimed to be dealt with in four weeks instead of eight.
The Government has also announced that the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) will be leading a scientific study, based on collaborative research between fishermen and scientists, following an approach used in the Fisheries Industry Science Partnership scheme. Fishermen will be engaged in the project to collect genetic samples from around 3,000 pollack. These fishermen will receive payment for their initial training, payment for catching the fish required for the study and would be able to sell the pollack they caught as part of the study. The study aims to understand more about the abundance and stock structure of pollack in order to look at sustainably reintroducing the fishery as soon as possible. Applications, along with detailed eligibility criteria, will be open as soon possible for the most affected pollack fishermen to apply to the study.
Commenting Steve said:
“I was very concerned to hear of Zero TAC for pollack in November, and have been in regular contact with local fishermen in Mevagissey and Newquay who have been most affected by the decision to restrict the pollack fishery in 2024.
“I have met with the Minister several times and been in almost daily communication with him on behalf of the fishing communities in Mid-Cornwall.”
“I am pleased that the difficulties now faced by fishermen who have been traditionally reliant on pollack have been recognised and that the Government is taking action to expedite claims from fishermen who need grant funding to diversify.”
“On top of this, it is critical that we start building a robust scientific case now to make the argument for the reintroduction of a sustainable pollack fishery as soon as possible, and it is good that the Government has announced they will be working with the fishermen, who know most about their catch, via the Cefas scheme, to do this.”
“I know that this had a significant impact on many fishermen across Cornwall. I am pleased the Government has recognised the challenging situation the fishermen are in. The measures announced today will go some way to mitigating their impact. I will continue to make the case to Government for more support for our fishermen but this is a helpful first step to addressing these issues.”