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Final notes of the Discard Action Group meeting held at the Wesley Hotel, London on 25 November 2014.

This Factsheet provides an overview of both long and short term GB seafood consumption; contextualising sector, segment and species trends in retail and foodservice.

Seafish continues to support the fishmeal industry through the provision of news and factual information. This quick summary of the June and October 2014 ICES advice covers blue whiting, capelin, herring, mackerel, Norway pout, sandeel and sprat.

Seafish continues to support the fishmeal industry through the provision of news and factual information. This quick summary of the 2015 ICES advice covers blue whiting, capelin, herring, mackerel, Norway pout, sandeel and sprat.

Training and Certification Requirements for the Crew of Fishing Vessels and their Applicability to Small Commercial Vessels and Large Yachts

With the growing interest in this relatively fuel-efficient method of fishing, the college invited speakers from Iceland and across Europe to share their experience and expertise in seine netting (also known as Danish seining, as this technique has its origins in Denmark). Lárus Thór Pálmason, the college’s senior lecturer in fishing gear technology and principal organiser of the event explained that rising fuel prices had driven a growing interest in seine net fishing and the college had been approached informally on several occasions to show groups of fishermen and vessel owners from other countries how seine net fishing works. The visits allowed an insight into how fishermen from other countries were dealing with the problems related to high fuel costs and looking to methods such as seine netting as one way of mitigating the problem. Programmes for visiting fishermen included visits to fishing gear suppliers, some gear simulation sessions in the small flume tank which the college has, and the chance to spend a day at sea with a working boat. These visits have been so popular that it was decided that it would be a good idea to try and pool a lot of the information that has been gathered into a workshop, and hence the international workshop was arranged.

This work investigated the accuracy and precision of fuel flow meters that may be used on commercial fishing vessels to give real-time indication of engine fuel economy during operations. The study looked into the most accurate way to meter fuel consumption on a commercial fishing vessel, the cost of this to fishermen, how straightforward the device would be to fit on a fishing vessel and whether the sensors are suited to the demanding environmental conditions onboard fishing vessels. The study looked at the performance of six different individual fuel flow meters and four complete fuel monitoring solutions when tested on a marine diesel engine.

Seafish recognises the requirement to protect the environmental integrity of Luce Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC), but is disappointed that no information was presented to substantiate the distribution and sensitivity of the seabed. The proposed fisheries management options should be considered in consultation with the fishing industry to ensure that they are truly effective and proportionate and to ensure they have an overall positive effect on the environment. The Scottish Government is reminded of the inshore vessel tracking project, run by Seafish and others, which is intended to demonstrate the potential of vessel tracking as a fisheries management tool.

The rapid development of the British crab industry, and in particular the increasing interest in the export of live crabs to continental seafood markets, has resulted in many operators without previous experience turning to this side of the trade. Some species of crab, notably the velvet or swimming crab, are less robust than others and have proved difficult to transport alive from the main fishing areas to the markets. This data sheet therefore outlines some of the steps that can be taken by vivier truck operators to minimise death and maximise the quality of the live product.

The increased demand for crabs and lobsters, and the requirement to export live shellfish has led to the Industry needing better methods and information about live holding. This data sheet is part of a new series forming a guide to the selection of equipment needed to successfully store and transport live crabs and lobsters. These data sheets should be used in conjunction with data sheets produced in 1987: Handling Crabs for the Live Trade. Parts I and II. This sheet provides a guide to the selection of water pumps, air pumps and pipe work.

With changes in waste legislation, shellfish waste management has become increasingly difficult and expensive. This has significantly affected the shellfish processing sector, particularly the crustacea sector as there is a lack of cost-effective outlets for their waste. Disposal costs of more than £60 per tonne are common, which is not economically viable for many businesses. To establish whether it is possible for UK processors to generate an income or reduce the costs of crustacea waste disposal, Seafish initiated a project to look at the range of options available for crustacea waste management and identify which have potential for the UK processing sector. The project looked at all the crustacea species processed in the UK and the range of products or extracts that can be produced. The project identified two main options for crustacea waste management; use or disposal as ‘waste’ off-site or making it available for use in other products. Each option has its own issues; legalities, technical feasibility, outlets for the products etc. On the basis of the information collected, it will continue to be difficult for the crustacea processing industry to cost-effectively meet the demands of waste disposal legislation for the foreseeable future. Many different routes have and are being explored, but no breakthrough technology or solution has emerged. There are some opportunities to generate a financial return from crustacea waste, but investments in capital and the requirements for effective management remain a significant hurdle to achieving a return on investment. There is no single, simple, cost-effective solution for crustacea waste management. This report summarises the main finding of the project. Further detailed information is available on the Seafish B2B website (Gaining Value from Crustacea Waste Project). This includes an Excel workbook which will be periodically updated with new information as it becomes available. The spreadsheet can be accessed at http://www.seafish.org/b2b/info.asp?p=102

This research is a broad review of consumer perceptions of brown crab processed products. The research is produced as a specific output of the wider Acrunet Activity 5 which seeks to understand the wider system of brown crab practices from production to consumption.

This response to the Commission’s request for contributions towards the reform process builds upon the strategic view we have developed of the evolving relationship between natural resource harvesting and environmental protection. In the UK we have initiated a number of seafood industry-centred conservation schemes and we are keen to see the industry develop its role as stewards of the marine environment. To read the consultation go to: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2009:0163:FIN:EN:PDF

Final note on the Seafood Ethics Common Language Group meeting held at Friends House, London on Thursday 21 July 2016.

Manual for developing and operating Seafish standard design for shellfish purification system: Vertical Stack System

The Inshore Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) project was initiated to pilot and assess inshore vessel tracking systems to instil confidence in fishermen’s compliance with local environmental management agreements (statutory and voluntary). Seafish was approached by the South West Inshore Fishermens Association (SWIFA) to look at a vessel monitoring system for inshore scallop vessels. This project objective was to provide a means of verifying that vessels fishing inshore where able to provide evidence of compliance with voluntary and statutory agreements.

Commercial-scale evaluation of advanced microbiological control techniques for marine finfish larval rearing in the UK.

Summary of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) report 2012, published July 2012.

The report presents economic estimates at UK, home nation and fleet segment level for the UK fishing fleet. The estimates are calculated based on samples of fishing costs and earnings gathered by Seafish as part of the 2020 Annual Fleet Economic Survey.

2019 data on the UK seafood processing sector’s workforce to tracks trends in the number, proportion and ease of recruiting both UK and non-UK employees in the period before the UK leaves the EU.

Traditional seafood waste disposal routes have become increasingly restricted and expensive. In the past onshore sectors of industry returned seafood waste back to sea, but this is only permitted if it has been approved by the relevant authorities. This factsheet summarises the procedure for applying for a licence and provides a summary of the key issues businesses should be aware of.

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 Kent & Essex IFCA.

his open learning module deals with the more commonly used freezing processes. This module may be of interest to individuals invoved in the freezing, storage, transport or retaiiling of fish and shellfish. . Available as a printed open learning module for £15 plus P&P. Contact training@Seafish.co.uk or 01472 252302 for more information.

The Seafish consultation document sets out how we intend to serve industry over the next three years and is part of a year-long consultation process.

This dealt mainly with the GLA's own licensing standards, which it issued in 2006. It contains a section that deals specifically with shellfish gathering in which th GLA's very broad interpretation of 'shellfish gathering' is under review. To read the consultation go to: http://www.gla.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1012775

The intention of this report is to promote consideration of vessel flooding and to encourage the implementation of practical measures to improve the situation.

Final notes of the Discard Action Group meeting held at Fishmongers' Hall, London on 12 March 2014.

The 2008 Economic Survey of the UK fishing fleet short report provides a summary of the financial and operational performance of the UK fishing fleet. This report summarises analysis of 33 segments of the UK fishing fleet, drawing on a combination of data collected by survey and data on landings and days at sea provided by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), which covers every active vessel in the UK fleet.

A lack of information on the precise location of a protected marine habitat or refuge for a protected marine species has caused considerable delays in environmental impact assessments and at worst led to applications to develop shellfish farms being refused or withdrawn as Regulators are unable to decide whether the farm site and/or access arrangements will or will not have a potential impact on a protected wildlife site (Seafish 2006 & 2007).

Includes sections on General requirements (main propulsion), Escape arrangements, Control spaces, Engine starting, Engine controls and instruments, Engine seatings, mounting and installation, Exhaust arrangement, Machinery space ventilation, Engine drive arrangements, Auxiliary engines and Propeller, stern gear and shafting

Examination made on two consignments of brown crab exported from the UK to Spain. The aim was to assess the loads for quality, marketability and mortality and to account for the differences observed. In particular the relationship between physical D.A. Massonage and mortality was investigated and the causes of D.A. Massonage were discussed at some length.

The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations will require some large fish business to maintain detailed records of packaging handled and to be responsible for the recovery and recycling of some packaging waste. The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations define certain design features that must be incorporated into all packaging in order to reduce its environmental impact.

This Responsible Sourcing Guide to farmed Atlantic salmon contains information on sustainability issues, stock assessment, conservation measures and management worldwide for the individual stocks of this species updated to 2012. There is a short section on the product characteristics of the species. The information was obtained from scientific, industry and governmental sources and appropriate references are given.

Final note on the Seafood Ethics Common Language Group meeting held at Friends House, London on Wednesday 10 February 2016.

Final minutes of the Aquaculture Common Issues Group meeting held in London on 12 September 2013.

Final notes on the Skates and Rays group meeting held at Friends House on Tuesday 8 October 2013.

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.

These are Seafish's comments on the Welsh Assembly Government's draft Strategy for Marine Protected Areas in Wales. The original consultation is available from http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/environmentandcountryside/marineprotectedareas/?lang=en.

A comprehensive guide to commercial fishing methods. This publication contains illustrations and descriptions of commonly used fishing methods, gears and rigs.

Seafish opposes the suggestion that so-called reefer vessels are included in the definition of freezer vessels because the two types of vessels have different functions. Seafish also makes commments on the scope for simplifying procedures on the adoption of national measures, on composite products and on importing frozen products directly from a freezer vessel.

There have been several recent reports in the media concerning mislabelled fish, both in the national and international press. Some reports reveal obvious fraud where an expensive species is substituted with a cheaper one such as pangasius being sold as cod, or inadvertent substitution of species, where it is equally possible that the expensive species is sold as the cheap species, and vice versa. This fact sheet outlines some of the techniques currently used to accurately identify seafood and seafood products, and reviews some of the benefits and limitations of the latest DNA and other techniques used for identification purposes within commercial, enforcement and fisheries science.

Final minutes of the Common Language Group meeting held at Billingsgate on Thusday 27 February 2014.

EU legislation on the disposal of animal by-products has and will continue to have major implications for the seafood industry. One effect of particular concern has been the ban on the use of landfill as a disposal route for most animal by-products and the additional inclusion of shell from shellfish as an animal by-product. To address industry concerns and develop a way forward Seafish established a Waste Working Group in April 2004 which brought together the various sectors of the seafood industry, the waste disposal and utilisation industries and industry regulators.

All sea birds, and over 30 marine animal species, are legally protected in the UK wherever they are found. • Wildlife protection laws have been strengthened. Harming these protected wildlife species may now be a criminal offence, resulting in a fine of up to £5,000 and up to six months in prison. • Additional protection measures apply to wildlife in special areas around the UK, which are designated ‘safe havens’ for marine wildlife. • This Guidance Note will tell you which marine wildlife species are protected in the UK, and how to work with the authorities to help to protect wildlife, and stay the right side of the law.