Commercial Fishing
The Solent is a mixed sea fishery and the fishing effort varies between a number of different commercial species throughout the year. The inshore waters have an important role as a nursery area for bass, with specific areas identified for protection, and for a range of other fin-fish and shellfish. Marine and Fisheries Agency statistics show that in 2009, over a 1,000 tonnes of fish were landed at Portsmouth with a value of approximately £1.4 million. Of this total 886 tonnes were shellfish. The various fishing activities which take place include:
- Demersal trawling;
- Drift netting;
- Fyke netting;
- Long lining;
- Set netting;
- Beam trawling;
- Trapping;
- Sea angling
Shellfishing is one of the main types of fishery in the Solent. The most significant shellfishery is for the native oyster which represents the largest self-sustaining stock in Europe and is of international conservation importance. Commercial Clam digging for the American hard shelled Clam also takes place throughout the year.
The amount of objective information about most aspects of the fishery in the Solent is very limited. A fundamental reason for this is that the majority of the inshore fleet are under ten metres in length and, therefore, exempt from the requirement to make full catch returns. Research on the fishery is also limited, although annual surveys of the stock levels within the oyster fisheries are made, and there has been extensive work on the populations of salmon and sea trout within the rivers Test and Itchen. The Sea Fishery Committees and Defra have detailed knowledge on the sea-fish and shellfish industry in the UK.
Fisheries Management
The Marine and Coastal Access Act, will reform inshore fisheries management in England by replacing Sea Fisheries Committees (SFCs) with newly created Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCA) in April 2011. The aim of these Authorities is to lead, champion and manage a sustainable marine environment and inshore fisheries, by successfully securing the right balance between social, environmental and economic benefits to ensure healthy seas, sustainable fisheries and a viable industry. IFC district boundaries will extend inland, aligning themselves with local authority boundaries. The detail of seaward and landward boundaries and the constitutional make-up of IFCA committees will be set out in draft Orders establishing IFC districts. Defra plans to consult on these in January/February 2010. IFCA committees will be formed of representatives from unitary and upper tier local authorities. The Marine Management Organisation, Environment Agency and Natural England will each have a statutory seat. The other representatives will be appointed by the Marine Management Organisation and will include members with the skills and knowledge to representative the fishing industry (recreational and commercial) and environmental interests.
The Marine and Fisheries Agency has responsibility for managing the English commercial fishing fleet. The Agency operates a national restrictive licensing scheme for UK commercial fishing vessels which is designed to control the capacity and fishing activities of the UK fleet. This is intended to bring catching effort into better balance with fishing opportunities.
The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the European Union policy that controls fishing activity across all 27 Member States. The current CFP has been in existence since 1983 and the Commission published the green paper for discussion on reform in April 2009. A new Common Fisheries Policy is due to be agreed in 2012. In December 2009, Defra published the UK response to the Commission's green paper on fisheries.
The JNCC and Natural England have launched a Fishing Coalition for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This new alliance represents much of the UK fishing industry and will provide a vital point of contact for Government and nature conservation organisations as they work with the industry in developing the growing network of MPAs. With the government required by European law to introduce a network of MPAs by the end of 2012, streamlined, efficient communication between all parties is essential.
