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The aim of the project was to demonstrate an alternative fishing method commonly known as Outrigger trawling. This involved replacing the heavy beam trawls which are normally towed by the vessel with two demersal trawls, each trawl spread with its own set of trawl doors and towed from the derricks. This change alone will have a significant impact on bottom and gear drag. The steady increase in fuel prices was another driver for the fleet to look at alternatives to beam trawling. By adopting the outrigger fishing method vessels can reduce their fuel consumption enabling increased profitability and a reduction in environmental impact.

A review and assessment of fishing gear design.

This report presents stage 3 of Project Inshore where findings of stage 1’s data gathering on fisheries within each IFCA and the results of stage 2’s MSC pre-assessment conducted for fisheries around England’s coast (involving over 400 different species, stock and gear combinations) are considered to provide a Strategic Sustainability Review tailored to the Cornwall IFCA

Seining is a fishing technique traditionally done in areas with large schools or groups of fish.

This document provides a non-technical summary of sea trials in a ~10 m class potting vessel running comparative fuel consumption tests using red (fossil) diesel and biodiesel. The vessel, FV Ma Gandole, is powered by a 20 year old Volvo MD70B 6 cylinder, normally aspirated, 120 hp diesel engine coupled to a 3:1 reduction gearbox, assumed to be fairly typical of many power plant of the Newlyn ~10 m class fleet. The sea trials demonstrated that both fuels started the engine equally well, and the vessel was felt to handle and perform equally well with either fuel.

The potential impact of wild Pacific oysters on local biodiversity is being raised as an issue that has to be considered in environmental assessments of both new farms and changes to practices by existing farms where they occur in wildlife protected areas. A FIFG-funded project has been carried out by Seafish which focuses on Pacific oyster cultivation in and around European Marine Sites. Working closely with industry and statutory nature conservation agencies, relevant background information was collated (Development of a Pacific oyster aquaculture protocol for the UK - Technical Report and a protocol proposed (Development of a Pacific oyster aquaculture protocol for the UK - Protocol template. Where there could be an impact on protected wildlife and/or marine habitats, husbandry and management techniques have been proposed to mitigate or eliminate any potential impacts. The project complements the ‘Memorandum of Understanding for Appropriate Assessments in European Marine Sites’ that was agreed between the SAGB and Natural England.

Aquaculture is already playing a major part in supplying seafood into the European market - some 420,000 tonnes per annum out of a fleet landing total of c.6,700,000 tonnes, or 6-7% of the total by weight. If all the member states of the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers are included, the tonnage rises to some 1,000,000 tonnes per annum, with a total value of £1,984 million in 1999 - compared, for example, with a combined total first sale value of fisheries landings of some $452 million in the UK and Ireland.

This project was to trial several selectivity devices to find one that would reduce cod discards in the Northern Ireland nephrops fishery to 1.5% of the total catch. The devices tested were the Swedish Grid, four panel 'Seltra' style codends, coverless trawl, and a plastic grid.The one found most effective was the four panel codend extension with square mesh in the top panel.

A report which analyses the economic contribution and value of the major aquaculture sub-sectors, and the most important farmed species in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This report presents stage 3 of Project Inshore where findings of stage 1’s data gathering on fisheries within each IFCA and the results of stage 2’s MSC pre-assessment conducted for fisheries around England’s coast (involving over 400 different species, stock and gear combinations) are considered to provide a Strategic Sustainability Review tailored to the Devon & Severn IFCA