The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Industry to have say on managing pelagic stocks Fishing: Skippers to help collect data
Scottish pelagic fishers are at the heart of a pioneering new scheme aimed at helping North Sea mackerel and herring stocks thrive.
It is hoped the “self-sampling” initiative will deliver important new information to help fill “data gaps” in fisheries science.
Work on a feasibility study is already gathering pace under a programme co-ordinated by Steven Mackinson, chief scientific officer for the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association.
Partners hope this work will lead to a fully integrated scheme in which skippers play a key role in decisions affecting their fisheries.
Two well-attended selfsampling demonstrations have already taken place for pelagic fishers in Shetland and Fraserburgh.
With the North Sea herring season under way, these fishermen are now helping to fine-tune the procedures for sampling fish.
The overall project is funded by Fisheries Innovation Scotland, working in partnership with Marine Scotland and the NAFC Marine Centre in Shetland.
Long-term, the aim is to provide a platform for skippers to scientifically sample mackerel and herring as part of international efforts to boost fish stocks.
“Enable us to gain a more accurate picture of mackerel and herring stocks”
It is hoped the data will be a key component in a wider scientific assessment, helping marine experts calculate the all-important biomass – an estimate of the amount of fish in a given area or ecosystem at any one time – and identify population trends.
Mr Mackinson said: “We can often identify where there are gaps in our knowledge.
“Involving fishermen in the collection of data has the potential to enable us to gain a more accurate picture of the health of our mackerel and herring stocks, which in turn can lead to better-informed management decisions.”
Meanwhile, the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (Masts) is organising the fifth Scottish Inshore Fisheries Conference on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Taking place at Eden Court, Inverness, on Friday October 5, the event will throw the spotlight on Brexit and other hot topics affecting the inshore fleet around Scotland.
Rural Economy Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing will open the conference and deliver the keynote speech.
St Andrews-based Masts has promised “plenty of networking opportunities”, as well as exhibitor stalls and representatives from a range of organisations.
It added: “We encourage active fishermen to attend and have their say on how Scotland’s inshore fisheries are managed.” The FTSE 100 started to bounce back yesterday as investors held out hope for US-China trade talks later this week.
London’s main market ended the day up 0.4%, or 32.67 points at 7,591.26.
It marked a slight rebound after a rollercoaster ride for stocks a week earlier, when the FTSE 100 fell around 0.8% amid concerns that Turkey’s financial woes could impact on Europe.
Mining stocks were in demand due to optimism around the US-China meeting, with Rio Tinto up 11.5p at 3,717.5p, Anglo American 20p higher at £15.54 and BHP Billiton better off by 15.8p at 1,645.2p.
The pound was also trading higher, up 0.2% against the euro at 1.115 and 0.05% versus the US dollar at 1.276.
Brent crude oil prices were up 0.7% at about $72.31 per barrel, recovering ground after Iran reportedly insisted Opec countries should not be able to take over another member’s share of output, as agreed by the cartel.