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Seafish was invited to take part in a BIM sea trial to test two different hook-and-line methods for catching Atlantic albacore tuna in the Bay of Biscay: by surface longline and by trolling with lures.

Kingfisher Talking Points - January 2019

This report reviews ecosystem risk assessment methods and describes in detail the method evolved in Australia by CSIRO.

The “Seafish Guide to Who’s Who in UK Aquaculture” collates and provides links to Government bodies and policies, important regulators, independent advisors, trade bodies, information providers, funders and educators pertinent to UK aquaculture.

Final minutes of the Common Language Group meeting held at Friends House, London on Wednesday 11 November 2015.

Update on latest developments relating to discards in fishing. Covers 2010 as at December 2010.

Final minutes of the Discard Action Group meeting held in London on 12 October 2010.

Mortalities of larger, more valuable cockle 2 and 3 year-classes have recurred on the Burry Inlet (Loughour) Estuary (BI) since 2002 and on the nearby Three Rivers Estuary (TR) since 2005. The aim of this report is to estimate the economic impact of the mortality on the south Wales cockle industry, related businesses and wider Welsh economy. Stakeholder interviews, direct observation, secondary literature, production and price data supplied by industry and government agencies is used to characterise value-chains, historic livelihood, regulatory and production trends.

2021 Northern Ireland Small Port Infrastructure Survey Investigation into infrastructure and facilities at Northern Ireland landing locations that have a commercial fishing presence.

27 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in Secretary of State and English waters were designated by the UK government, acting through Defra, in a first tranche in 2013, followed by a second tranche of 23 MCZs designated in 2016. Consultation of a third tranche is planned for early 2017, including potentially a number of sites of particular concern to the Northern Ireland fishing industry (Slieve Na Griddle, South Rigg and Mud Hole). Defra previously identified that these three sites, which were originally suggested through the Irish Sea Conservation Zones project, require further consideration due to their location within important fishing grounds, and that their designation “could have a significant impact on the fishing sector, particularly within Northern Ireland”. Defra has encouraged the fishing industry to develop alternative site proposals for protecting subtidal mud habitats in the Irish Sea region, and that all available options will be then be considered in the third tranche of designations (Defra, 2015). Alternative sites were proposed following stakeholder engagement in a report for Seafish by AFBI in 2015 (AFBI, 2015); this concluded that the “least worst” options in terms of potential fishery displacement, yet representing the key habitat of interest, subtidal mud, were West of Walney in the eastern Irish Sea and a new site, “Queenie Corner”, in the western Irish Sea. West of Walney was included in Tranche 2 of the MCZ designations, and this included a co-location zone with wind farms which had held up its submission in Tranche 1. It passed through consultation and was designated in January 2016. The site proposed as “Queenie Corner” in AFBI (2015) was formally proposed to Defra for consideration in October 2015, with support of both the Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation Ltd. and Northern Ireland Fish Producers’ Organisation Ltd. However, due to the introduction of the Welsh Fishery Zone, the site had to be re-drawn to avoid overlap with this zone, which reduced the original site area proposed. During 2014 and 2015 additional surveys were completed by AFBI aboard the RV Corystes to provide the habitat evidence required for full consideration of Queenie Corner by Defra. Seafish provided funding for processing of samples and work up of these data to evaluate the presence, extent and condition of the habitat at Queenie Corner, and compare this to similar evidence at the remaining potential sites of Slieve Na Griddle, South Rigg and Mud Hole. This work is reported here, along with a comparison of fishing effort between 2006 and 2014 over each of these sites, and also West of Walney, to provide an overview of how these sites compare in terms of potential fisheries displacement should designation occur and management measures require banning of mobile gear fisheries.