Documents | Seafish

MAFF Funded English Channel Discard Study

In January 1995 the MAFF funded effort survey and discard study in UK towed gear metiers in the English Channel (ICES are VIId and VIIe) was initiated. This was to be carried out for 1 year in the first instance. This report outlines the methodology used to weight the sampling effort and describes preliminary results from the effort survey and the first quarter's sampling. An outline of proposed further analysis is discussed.

UK Fleet Restructuring Model - Mathematical Aspects

Whilst this report deals exclusively with technical aspects of the current SFIA approach to mathematical modelling of the UK Fishing Fleet, it is important to be aware of some background and justification. Early attempts at fleet modelling by the White Fish Authority led to the formation of the Interdepartmental Fisheries Modelling Group, with members from WFA. MAFF and DAFS. Their objectives were to predict the ‘best’ UK fleet composition required to take allowable catches foreseen under various scenarios of EEC policy and fishery resource conservation. This was first tackled using a linear programming (LP) model designed to allocate the fleet in some optimal way, such as to maximise overall profit whilst satisfying strict physical constraints (species quotas, vessel number, etc). Although LP solutions are often acceptable, the method has its drawbacks in applications such as this one. It invariably produces violent changes in fleet allocation in pursuit of some marginal benefit; it is extremely selective in deciding which parts of the fleet to use, ignoring the rest altogether; finally, it always gives solutions on the very limits of what is feasible. Nevertheless, the LP approach did bring benefits, such as amalgamating detailed data from England, Wales and Scotland. This report has been produced from a scanned original and may therefore contain some formatting and other inaccuracies. In cases where this affects the technical content, a paper copy of the original report can still be obtained from Seafish

Channel Discard Study - 2nd Interim Report

This report describes work carried out on the Channel discards study up until the end of May 1998. The number of trips in each metier is described and discussed in relation to the original targets set and the available data are presented. The successful efforts to trin fishermen to sample discards are described and discussed.

Squid Jigging Trials Aboard R.V. Squilla

The jigging trials carried out aboard ARCTIC HUNTER during September 1976 demonstrated that on some occasions at night, loliginid squid could be attracted by artificial lights and caught using Japanese automatic jigging machines. However the low catch rates achieved and the operational experience obtrained suggested that this method of fishing might find only a limited application in the UK. It was felt that the commercial viability of jigging would depend upon suitable operating conditions and the location of sufficiently large stocks of squid. It was concluded that jigging was an unsuitable method of fishing in exposed offshore locations because of the operational difficulties associated with rough seas.

Upgrading and utilisation of fishery products

The TNO/FAR International Conference concerned with the upgrading and utilisation of fishery products as attended. The purpose of the visit was to present a short lecture on the Guidelines for the Handling of Chilled Finfish by Primary Processors and display a guidelines poster. The conference was used to assess European attitudes and trends influencing the EC fish trade. The opportunity was taken to target European Institutes which could be partners for Seafish in future R & TD projects.

Channel Spider Crab Fishery (Maia squinado)

In 1994 a party from Seafish and fishermen visited St. Malo in France to investigate a trap fishery for cuttlefish. The aim was to investigate methods of exploiting cuttlefish other than by their traditional method of gill and/or trammel nets. The use of static nets to target cuttlefish from SE channel ports had been severely hampered by the presence of large quantities of spider crabs on the traditional netting grounds.

Estuary Profile Burry Inlet S. Wales

This is one of a series of reports on the estuarine shellfish areas of the UK. The Burry Inlet has an important commercial fishery for cockles with landings of 4-5000 tonnes per year. The fishery is facing a Closing Order restricting landings unless they are purified or processed in a prescribed manner. The report describes the portential for the fishery especially in mussels, but points out certain difficulties which have to be resolved.

Norfish: Norway - Prospects for the 1990s

In 1990 Seafish commissioned a study of Nordic fish supplies to the UK markets. The initial reports (Nos. 397,398) were based mainly on an analysis of the available statistical data, but in October 1991 Seafish led a delegation from the UK industry to Iceland which provided an opportunity for an in depth examination of the present and future ideas of Icelandic fish supplies (Report No. 399). That still left an important gap in the information, however, and the chance to fill it came with a second, smaller mission – though with a much more detailed itinerary – to Norway in November 1992, led by Alan Hopper, then Technical Director of Seafish. The present report is largely the outcome of that seven day visit which afforded a remarkable cross section of the Norwegian fishing industry. The length of this report, and the comprehensive picture that it is able to present, is a testimony to the wealth of opinion and information that was provided by individuals and organisations contacted during the visit. The report makes considerable use of those enriching experiences and of some of the abundant literature on Norway’s fishing industry. This report has been produced from a scanned original and may therefore contain some formatting and other inaccuracies. In cases where this affects the technical content, a paper copy of the original report can still be obtained from Seafish.

Study of French and Belgian Ports

This report records the finding and impressions of visits to Zeebrugge, Boulogne and Paris in March 1990 by a team of experts drawn from a wide range of interests within the UK fishing industry (see Appendix 1). Its purpose was to create an awareness of current and future developments in the European fishing industry and to consider their likely impacts upon Britain. The emphasis has been on those fisheries based on the North Sea and the eastern Channel. This report has been produced from a scanned original and may therefore contain some formatting and other inaccuracies. In cases where this affects the technical content, a paper copy of the original report can still be obtained from Seafish.

A Comparison of the Quad-rig and Twin-rig Trawl in the Nephrops Fishery

Estuary Profile. Teign Estuary - Devon

The Teign Estuary, which is situated on the south Devon coast, is long and narrow and opens into the English Channel at Teignmouth. Local fisheries are managed by the Devon Sea Fisheries Committee under their byelaw regulations. There is a regulated order area, allocated by MAFF to the Teign Musselmen's Society Ltd., covering a large part of the seabed, granting their exclusive rights to the mussels.

Multi-Layer Mussel Purification Tank

This report describes the trials which subsequently took place following the design of the stainless steel multi-layer tank by Bead Engineering, to Seafish specification, and its installation at the premises of Heiploeg Lynn. The trials were conducted by Seafish as part of its 1988/89 MAFF Research Commission, Project NBA 16. A total of eighteen purifications were made with the tank using a single initial mix of artificial seawater to which ten percent make-up was added at each use. Bacteriological analysis showed that mussels purified satisfactorily throughout the trials and there was no detrimental effect on mussel storage life. It became clear during the trials that water temperature needed to be kept between 5° and 10°C to ensure satisfactory purification. This makes it essential to house the tank in a building in order to maintain temperature control. Following the first twelve trials the effect of overloading trays/boxes with mussels was investigated and it was possible to establish a safety margin on the nominal load of 15kg per box. This report has been produced from a scanned original and may therefore contain some formatting and other inaccuracies. In cases where this affects the technical content, a paper copy of the original report can still be obtained from Seafish.

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