FMIG: UK fishing industry response to external pressures. | Seafish

FMIG: UK fishing industry response to external pressures.

Date: 10 October 2023

Time: 11 am - 3.30 pm

Location: Fishmongers' Hall, London Bridge, London EC4R 9EL.

Email Karen Green to register for this event
This meeting will look at external pressures on the catching sector and how the UK fishing industry is responding.



This Fisheries Management and Innovation Group (FMIG) meeting is taking place at Fishmongers' Hall, London Bridge, London EC4R 9EL.

This is an in person only FMIG meeting.

Our Fisheries Management and Innovation Group provides a forum to discuss the key challenges and opportunities facing the UK catching sector. The need to accommodate different marine environment uses is growing, as are concerns about the sustainability of our food production systems. Fisheries policy increasingly needs to be more aligned with wider sustainability objectives, where management systems promote ecological resilience and incorporate a wider use of risk and precautionary approaches. The catching sector increasingly seems to be under pressure on multiple fronts and this meeting will explore some of these challenges in more detail. 

Morning session: Trawling for the truth

According to OSPAR, three of the top human pressures on the marine environment come from fisheries activities in terms of the removal of target species, seabed disturbances and the effects on non-target species. Fisheries policy must ensure that fishing does not damage the environment to the extent it compromises either the future of fishing or any other valuable uses of the seas. Equally, broader marine management must ensure that other human activities do not compromise our ability to pursue profitable and sustainable fisheries. Our morning session will cover different views and perspectives on current fishing practices, and will be an opportunity for constructive discussion.

The future for marine protection - current protection and priorities for the future

There are growing spatial demands on the marine environment, with the catching sector increasingly under pressure on multiple fronts. The afternoon session will look at the future for responsible and sustainable growth of marine industries - aligning marine protection and net gain with offshore industry growth, and balancing infrastructure and spatial needs with environmental protection.

Event Programme

11 am - 12.50 pm
Trawling for the truth
Transparency and technology to support sustainable fisheries management.
  • Leah Buckley, Global Fishing Watch.
Evaluating the sustainability and environmental impacts of trawling compared to other food production systems.
  • Mike Kaiser, Chief Scientist, Heriot-Watt University.
Transform Bottom Trawling Coalition.
  • Alastair Philp, Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation
Shetland Fishermen Fishy Falsehoods papers.
  • Dr Ian Napier, Senior Fisheries Policy, UHI Shetland.
Panel session
1.40 pm - 3.30 pm
The future for marine protection - current protection and priorities for the future
EMFF impact evaluation linked to external pressures and priorities for future funding.
  • Rod Cappell, Poseidon.
IFCAs statutory role in protecting marine ecosystems.
  • Robert Clark, Chief Officer, Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities.
The management, creation and protection of blue carbon habitats.
  • Graham Underwood, Professor of Marine and Freshwater Biology, University of Essex/UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership (UKBCEP).
Benthic Protected Areas - an industry-led NZ initiative to proactively protect marine areas from bottom trawling.
  • Geoff Tingley, Gingerfish Ltd.
Offshore wind: Preview of forthcoming Defra report ‘Adaptations to Offshore Wind Farms and Fishing Methods to Enable Co-location’.
  • Suzannah Walmsley/Emma Wootton, ABPmer.
Panel session
15.30
Meeting ends

How to register

To register for this event please email Karen Green, Industry Issues and Communications (link opens in a new window).

Further information

Once you've successfully registered for this event, you will receive an event registration confirmation email from Eventbrite, which will include the link to access the event.

FMIG monthly news alert

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Seafood Issues Groups

The FMIG is one of a number of Seafish-facilitated discussion forums which focus on the integrity of the seafood supply chain. These groups provide a discussion platform for some of the most important issues facing the seafood industry, particularly in relation to the responsible sourcing of seafood. They are an opportunity for all those involved in the seafood supply chain to reach a consensus on common issues.

Find out more about our Seafood Issues Groups by following the link below.