More than 60 fishermen, merchants, sea anglers and others in the marine environment met at Newlyn on Friday to discuss a 20-year plan for fisheries, announced by Defra on February 1.A small group from Defra and the Marine Fisheries Agency gathered at the Mission for the first of a string of UK meetings to spell out its vision of the marine fisheries in 2027.

Defra's fisheries director, Rodney Anderson, asked why the British taxpayer should support the industry, a question it will also face from the general public.

He said: "We must all ask ourselves the question of whether we would all be in the current state now if we had better planned our future 20 years ago.

"We can't just snap our fingers and change everything right away, we have to plan for 20 years ahead. You will, however, see changes develop in a gradual way and not have to wait 20 years seeing nothing as we start changes now. You want a sustainable future and so do we."

Mr Anderson said profit from the sea, security of fisheries regulations and clarity of what the public expect of fishing must be addressed immediately.

He told how 20 years ago he was given a mobile phone, a huge instrument that he carried on journeys around the UK and likened that to today's pocket-sized technology. He said fishermen should accept how their trade has also undergone a similar leap in efficiency, a point that must be addressed "as the seas around Britain are a shared national resource of which all stakeholders must be considered. We must all ask important questions like who owns the fish".

A fisherman asked if the plan would discover what new species may be present by then. "With all this global warming and rare fish being caught we need to find out what we may benefit from," he said.

St Mawes fishermen's representative Tony Tomlinson asked what the Government would do to secure quotas on such fish as tuna, which many are saying is heading towards the British coast.

Mr Anderson said: "We, the authorities and fishermen, have to both get better at working together, and such a subject is a very important factor to consider."

A local sea angler claimed that three times more money goes into the UK coffers from sea angling than does from commercial fishing.

Mr Anderson replied: "From the figures we have, recreational angling generates very substantial revenue."

A suggestion that regional committees should be formed as coastal areas are often widely different received a favourable response and Mr Anderson asked for volunteers to talk further on the issue.

article copyright WESTERN MORNING NEWS 

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