A new Producer Organistion joins the UK POs
The start of 2021 saw the official launch of a new fish producers’ organisation in the southwest of England, writes WFPO manager Chloe North.
The Western Fish Producers’ Organisation (WFPO), based in Devon and with members who fish primarily from South west England but also around the coast of the UK, became fully operational on 1 January.
The WFPO has been created at an exciting time for the UK fishing industry, and it is poised to provide support to grow and strengthen the industry. The new PO aims to be a dynamic force for change, launching new innovative projects and helping drive forward the modernisation of the industry.
WFPO’s strategy is to:
1. Add value to members’ products by growing demand and constantly improving the conditions of production for members
2. Improve and document sustainability of members’ operations to achieve the highest sustainability standards, including independent assessment
3. Collaborate with government and other stakeholders to deliver benefits to members and broader society, being open and innovative in addressing joint challenges.
This is an important time for all voices in the industry to be heard, to get the best management for our fisheries. WFPO will be representing a diversity of different fisheries. We will be working with and learning from the existing great POs in the UK. We are very excited to get going now, and implement some of the innovative ideas of our members.
Founding members
The South West of England has a long and rich fishing history and some very longstanding fishing families. Brixham, which has been home to beam trawl vessels for centuries, is the home port for the majority of the vessels in the new PO.
The WFPO begins with 20 vessels in its membership. The founding member companies are Passmore Fishing, Waterdance Ltd, and Paul Stone (owner of the Brixham scalloper Emily J).
Passmore Fishing Ltd is owned by a fifth-generation fishing family, with Russell Passmore ex-skipper managing the vessels, and his son Alex expanding the business into a fully integrated shellfish fishing and processing firm. Passmore Fishing has three vessels, two scallopers and a whelk potter. More Seafood Ltd is the processing arm of the business, based in Paignton, Devon and exporting shellfish around the world.
Alex Passmore said “The drive for the PO was for a smaller PO where members can be very involved in shaping the direction. We are excited to be at this stage now after lots of work to get the PO set up, we can get started on some of our ideas.”
Waterdance is a family-owned fishing company, born when a coastal farming family bought their first fishing vessel in 1957. Starting with a 12ft potter, it has grown into one of the biggest fleets in the South West, with over 20 vessels in Devon and Cornwall. The beam-trawl vessels and whelk potting vessels in the Waterdance fleet are now in the WFPO. Waterdance has a vision of modernising its fleet over time, and makes significant contributions to the local economy in Devon and Cornwall, employing 120 full-time ocean-going skippers and crew, as well as an onshore support team.
Martyn Youell said, “Waterdance believes firmly that POs have a long history of great achievements for UK fishermen and they are uniquely well-placed to work in partnership with the government to deliver the UK’s new fisheries policies. We are excited to work with Chloe and the WFPO members on the projects set out in the PO’s strategy.”
The Emily J is owned and skippered by well-known third-generation Devon fisherman Paul Stone. A scalloper and trawler, the Emily J is run as a father and son business, with both men fishing alongside longstanding crewman Tom Leather.
Paul Stone said: “The Emily J is a new boat for us but the Western FPO has been very supportive so far, and has made sure we are well represented in recent government consultations.”
Sustainability
Central to the WFPO is a passion for environmental sustainability and thriving fishing communities. It will be working on a variety of projects to ensure that it is leading the way in environmental and social sustainability, including exploring technology to help vessels use fuel more economically and sharing transport of bait to reduce our carbon footprint.
Sustaining the workforce of the industry will be a priority, by encouraging young people into fishing. The WFPO is working with the MP for Brixham to develop a fishing school in conjunction with South Devon College. This will provide experience and inspiration for young people, as well as practical courses for those aiming for a career in fishing or vessel engineering.
Talks have already begun with Devon and Severn IFCA to trial using cameras onboard scallop vessels as a compliance enforcement measure, and there is also a potential project being initiated with CEFAS to trial cameras to gather data on the incidence of juvenile monkfish in catches, to make the landing obligation more workable and achieve industry compliance. WFPO is also collaborating with Heriot-Watt University on a project to improve the selectivity of whelk pots so that fewer undersized whelks are retained, as science has shown that riddles affect survivability.
Quota management is important both for members’ fishing activities and ensuring long-term sustainability of stocks. The WFPO has worked with Dutch e-logbook providers E-Catch to develop new software to allow daily automatic analysis of quota uptake. This will give WFPO the ability to manage quota very quickly and precisely.
Representation of members
WFPO was recognised as a PO by the MMO in April 2020, but became fully operational as of 1 January, 2021 – auspiciously (or not, depending on how you see it) on the same day as the UK became an independent coastal state. WFPO has therefore been created at a time that will be very important for producer organisations.
POs have been at the forefront of fighting for the industry in the past few years as our relationship with the EU has been negotiated. Now we have a new Fisheries Act, and DEFRA has said that Fishery Management Plans and co-management between the industry and government will be at the heart of the new form of management. This puts POs and fishermen’s associations in a pivotal role.
The WFPO will be involved in shaping future policy for the beam trawl, whelk and scallop industries, acting as a two-way information stream between its industry members and government, ensuring that future policies are sensible and that members are fully compliant.
We will be working closely with the other POs in the UK, and especially with those in the South West region, and will be a proud and supportive member of the NFFO and UKFPO.
A strong governance structure has been set up to ensure that the PO is acting on behalf of all members equally. An independent chair of the board has been selected, and all members have the opportunity to become board members with a voting right. Members also have the opportunity to become part of a quota pool.
Marketing
The WFPO will have a strong focus on long-term improvement in demand for members’ products. Consumers are now very conscious of whether their food is sustainable, low-carbon and made with ethical labour standards. We will be working on promoting the fishing industry as producing sustainable low-carbon protein.
The WFPO wants to demonstrate on an international stage the high quality of the product and its high level of sustainability, so it will be working with the MSC to try to get sustainability certifications for more of the species in the South West, and taking an active role in Project UK fishery improvement projects.
It will support member companies in adding value to their businesses through collective action, and by collaborating with the supply chain. The WFPO will form close relationships with markets and buyers to provide them with data about what fish is being caught, and provide market information to the industry.
Alongside Brixham Trawler Agents and Samways, WFPO will be hosting a stand at the next Barcelona Seafood Show.