“We are seeing the demise of the inshore fleet” Jerry Percy – NUTFA

The FD Podcast Series 2 Episode 03 – Oliver McBride, Editor of The Fishing Daily, speaks to Jerry Percy, Chair of the New Under Ten-Metre Fishermen’s Association (NUTFA) which will soon become known as the National Non Sector Organisation C.I.C.

Jerry explains to Oliver what NUTFA is, who its members are, who it works and how it works for its members.

Oliver askes Jerry if the change to the National Non Sector Organisation C.I.C will affect how association works and how it will affect his role going forward.

Oliver and Jerry discuss the impact COVID has had on the small-scale fleet and what happened to his association’s membership because of Brexit.

Brexit has become a major problem for all sectors across the UK and in particular for Under-10 metre fishing vessels.

“Brexit was really an unmitigated disaster from day one, that you’ll be well aware of the issues we had in terms of exports for people trying to sell mussels. They lost their market overnight, which was just a fundamental nonsense. In relation to Brexit, we were promised hundreds of thousands of tons more fish, an independent, coastal state, taking back control and so on and so forth.

“In reality, the opposite has been the case,”

Jerry tells Oliver. Part of the problem for the inshore fleet is the situation where EU fishing vessels were not excluded from the 6 to 12 nautical mile zone as promised in Brexit. Now the inshore fleet especially around the English Channel are watching valuable non-quota species being wiped out on a daily basis by powerful flyshooter who scoop un everything.

“The general comments are (from the fishermen) that it’s not worth going to see for three or four days after these boats have been there because there’s no fish left on the ground and tragically, I think this is almost a rerun of the Dutch electric post issue that we had here not many years ago.”

They also discuss the Joint Fisheries Statement and Jerry gives his opinion it.

Oliver asks Jerry what it is like on the ground at the moment for inshore fishermen who are facing marine surveys every five years, CatchApp and inshore vessels monitoring systems, all being put upon them at once.

They also talk about the impact that Marine Protected Areas are having on inshore fishermen and Oliver asks, “Does the UK government really understand the inshore sector?”

Listen to find out more … 

Podcast music used with permission of In Their Thousands – Acrasia © In Their Thousands 2018. Check out Spotify