Fishing against the odds: fishers’ motivations to carry on fishing in the wake of the hindering EU Common Fishery Policy—a case study in North Shields, UK

The UK’s fishing industry has contracted considerably since 1972 due to overfishing, increased fuel prices, and implementation of the European Union (EU) Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Despite this decline affecting the industry at large and the incomes of fishers, some fishers have carried on, or even freshly started or returned to the business. Why have these fishers done so despite the challenges they encounter in the fishing industry? In this article, we investigate why some fishers still choose to fish in the wake of all the EU regulations designed to control overfishing by reducing the size of the industry and discouraging entry by taking measures that affect revenues. Our data are collected through ethnographic research involving participant observation and interviews with fishers in North Shields, England. Based on our findings, we argue that the decision to carry on fishing, or even to return, is predominantly based on so-called intrinsic motivations, rather than on cost-benefit calculations, and stems from three interlinked basic human emotional needs which fishing seems to fulfil: the need to connect (sometimes also defined as the need to relate or belong); the desire for autonomy; and the desire to show competence (and have that competence recognized by relevant others). As such, the findings offer a fresh way to explain fishers’ decisions, based on a deliberated choice, to remain or leave the sector, and to understand and interrogate the challenges confronting present-day fishing both on a local level in the UK and also for Europe at large.

Efficiency of shallow- and deep-water trawling in the Mediterranean and its implications for discard reduction

The Mazara del Vallo fleet is one of the main fleets of large trawlers in the Mediterranean. Traditionally, the two main fishing strategies adopted by the fleet can be summarized as follows: pesca a fresco (250 m), mainly targeting deep-water shrimp sold frozen. The second fishing strategy has become increasingly important over the last decade. This paper aims to investigate the extent to which the choice of targeting deep-water shrimp impacted the level of technical and scale efficiency for the fleet assessed through an input-oriented data envelopment analysis. The analysis was based on data collected under the Italian National Programme within the European Data Collection Framework, as well as through a focus group discussion with the trawler skippers. The results showed that the pesca a congelato trawlers had the highest average efficiency, with both technical and scale efficiency close to the maximum level. On the basis of information collected during the focus group discussion on the pesca a congelato strategy, technical efficiency was coupled with a lower discard rate and the widespread use of LED lights. The findings were discussed in light of the objective of discard reduction in European fisheries, one of the pillars of the reformed common fishery policy.

Analiza wpływu przystąpienia Polski do Unii Europejskiej na krajowe rybołówstwo morskie

After its accession to the EU, Poland became subject to the regulations of the Common Fishery Policy and as a result Polish sea fishing underwent restructuring on an unprecedented scale. The changes included the fishing fleet and the fishing seaports. An intensive process of reducing Polish fishing fleet, whose potential was too large in relation to the continually decreasing fish resources in the Baltic Sea, began in 2004. As a significant number of fishing vessels were removed from service, the pressure on fishing for species endangered with overfishing diminished, while the fishing quotas for individual fishing vessels increased. A negative consequence of these changes were reductions in employment in the fishing sector, however, only a few fishermen lost their jobs permanently. Ports and harbors, which had been neglected in terms of the investments made, were modernized owing to EU funding. The decapitalized infrastructure was modernized, and the mooring conditions for vessels stopping at seaports improved. Necessary equipment and objects were provided for fishing structures, which contributed to the improvement in the conditions of transshipment, storage, and distribution of sea fishing. The assessment of Poland’s hitherto ten-year membership in the EU and its effects on Polish sea fishing should be positive. Polish sea fishing sector required changes. European integration only accelerated the restructuring process while simultaneously mitigating its negative effects. The continuation of the positive trend of changes in the national sea fishing is to be expected.