SofteningTheBlow

FISHERIESinto it, as it’s clear things like iPhones and smart phones can doso much already. It seems likely this will be more developed inthe next 20 years.‘It needs to be explained to fishermen on a per-vessel basis asa motivation, that this extra information could lead to a quotauplift [if it turns out there’s a bigger stock or recoverythan anticipated] which would contribute to greater economicperformance.’Government help and encouragement with new smartgear is certainly welcome, then, but it must enter dialoguewith fisheries stakeholders rather than prescribing thesame pill for all maladies in the manner Brussels used to.The NFFO’s long-term optimism in technology certainlyindicates potential growth for fishing outside the EU.Potential benefitsResearch and development fundingI asked whether British fishermen currently benefit muchfrom EU R&D funding:‘The industry doesn’t get much R&D spending. The EuropeanFisheries Fund, which will become the European MaritimeFisheries Fund, isn’t specifically for R&D. The RACs have lookedat the funds – they’re very complex and hard to gain access too.We’d probably need expert advice to get access to them, it’s notthe highest priority.‘Sometimes the cost of getting 100 per cent data just doesn’tmake sense [in terms of costs and returns], but there is a movetowards better data quality, helping the formal scientific processesthat operate under international umbrellas, but effectively takeplace in national laboratories.‘This indicates that if fishing policy was under Britishgovernment control, Westminster could hardly do worse· 33 ·