Fishing Fleet, Foxes & Frost! There's an Alliteration for you...

Reading the Guardian online recently (website), I wasn't too surprised that it reported that members of the Hastings Fishing Fleet are unhappy with the Government's 'deal' with the European Union. I have written many times about the local fishing fleet since I wrote about the Greenpeace visit to Hastings nearly 6 years ago (blog), which included a meeting where Paul Joy voiced similar thoughts to those he discusses in the Guardian article. A "passionate Brexiter" and knowledgeable about the industry, he had admitted that the UK government department responsible (DEFRA and their website) was guilty of badly translating the Common Fisheries Policy quota details, disrespecting the smaller fishing boat fleets whilst favouring the larger fishing boat fleets.

But I was surprised to read that Paul's fishing boat is not going out fishing now, especially looking back to seeing the lights of 3 or 4 fishing boats out at sea this morning, when I began my daily exercise before 07.00. I have since spoken to one of the fishermen I know who told me that he had gone out this morning at about 06.00 to lay nets which they will return to tomorrow morning. He told me that there aren't many fish around at the moment, but he suggested it's likely that Paul's boat will be out again in the Spring, though there is no hint of that in the Guardian article. Anyway, you will be pleased to know that members of the local fishing fleet are still fishing in local waters. Developments will be very interesting, I believe...

Field above Fairlight Glen

Anyway, foxes! Recently, I heard a couple of foxes 'screaming' in someone's garden just around the corner from where I live in the town centre, and this morning, whilst still quite dark, I spotted what I at first thought was a dog chasing after a fox across the East Hill... But no, it was a second bigger fox, presumably a dog fox, and yes, January is the mating season for foxes, so if you've been hearing foxes screaming at one another, you know the reason why, it's January and foxes are procreating!

Why the photograph above? Well, it was too dark to photograph the foxes, and they were running too quickly for me to get out my mobile phone anyway. And Fairlight was the destination for me to turn around at for my daily exercise today, nice sky too. 😉

And frost? I have to admit I've not owned a car for many years now, mainly using public transport, or walking, to get about, although not so much public transport for the last 10 months! And frost isn't really something I take notice of, although I do remember the inconvenience of having to clear windscreens. But the first lockdown last year changed the way I look at nature, and this morning, whilst walking back along Barley Lane, I couldn't help noticing the wonderful leaf-like patterns not just on windscreens, but on car bonnets too, like in the photograph above that I took this morning. I just looked up why this happens (most references are about patterns on glass, for example this reference), which explains that it is caused by tiny imperfections in, or on, the glass.

Isn't nature wonderful, and Jack Frost an excellent artist?!? 👍

Have a good weekend, and stay safe folks! 

Greenpeace Film includes Hastings Stade

An interesting Greenpeace article about the fishing quota that I missed at the time, but still with important information that adds to my recent blog. It also includes some footage from a few years back of Hastings fishing boats and the Stade.

Well worth reading!

Sole Political Party and they Skate around the truth!

I've written about the local Hastings fishing industry, the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), Greenpeace, and the Government and Defra many times over the last 3 and a half years, indeed, since writing this blog. The article written in the latest edition of the Hastings Independent (issue 110), "Stormy Waters," has the support of someone from the Marine Management Organisation saying much of what I keep repeating... That it has not been the European Union and the CFP that has "stitched up" fishermen using boats under 10 metres long, such as are used by the Hastings fishing fleet, but our own Government and Defra, the "bulk of the (British fishing) quota was given to big boats." Indeed, 80% of the British fishing industry uses smaller boats, but were allocated only 4% of the British catch by Defra! This was supported by the Hastings Fishermen spokesperson at that Greenpeace meeting back in March 2015...

Now I have had a publication delivered to me from the local Conservative Party (Hastings and Borough Matters) that, quite frankly, has distorted the truth, blaming the CFP for harming "our Fishermen in Hastings and Rye" and that the CFP has "been a failure" completely ignoring the fact that Defra is the true culprit! As I reported last year (blog), we have given notice to quit the London Fisheries Convention, signed in 1964, which will mean that when we have left the EU, we can police the waters between 6 and 12 miles from our shores, preventing other signatories from fishing in those waters, similarly, British fishing boats will not be allowed to fish in other signatories' waters, something that Michael Gove has boasted as "taking back control of our waters" and that "the future will be bright" for the local fishing industry.

Of course, far from being the 'champion' of the local fishing industry that Gove says she was, and our MP has certainly campaigned for reform of the CFP, though even when she was in Cabinet, and when she must have had some political clout surely, nothing ever changed regarding the allocation to Under Ten Metre fishing fleets; with the larger boats still getting preference from Defra and continuing to receive 96% of the catch in Britain's allocation (see New Under Ten Fishermens Association NUTFA website too). Oh yes, and who is the Minister in charge of Defra? Our great new friend the Secretary of State, Michael Gove!

With many thanks to the Hastings Independent for the photograph above of Gove's recent visit... Oh yes, and fat chance that the Defra position will ever favour the Under Ten Metre fishing boats as they have consistently favoured the big boys! So, don't hold your collective breath, Hastings.



Hastings Fishing Boats Protest!

Well, it's again with thanks to our wonderful roving photographer that these images from the weekend's fishing industry protest can be shared, cheers Marcus!

In a carefully staged campaign around the country, protests were held by about 200 fishing boats at the same time in Whitstable, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Milford Haven and Newcastle, as well as in Hastings, aggrieved by what they consider to be an 'abject betrayal' by the Government over Brexit effectively being extended until the end of 2010, despite the referendum being in June 2016, nearly 2 years ago!

Boats came to join Hastings fishing boats from many ports including Rye, Newhaven, Eastbourne, Folkestone and Colchester. Essentially angry that, despite promises from Brexiteers in Ukip and the Tory Party that British coastal waters would be brought under the control of the British Government, that there had been no movement yet, and didn't look like there would be any movement until 2021 at the earliest!

However, as I've alluded to many times since Greenpeace came to town 3 years ago (blog), the real problem for Under Ten Metre Fishing Boats such as in Hastings (nearly 80% of British fishing boats are allowed only 4% of the total British catch!), which carry out sustainable fishing, was actually the British Government and Defra pandering to the 'bigger boys' and their larger trawlers, which carry out unsustainable fishing. Indeed, Defra even allowing them to sell off some of their rights to foreign vessels!

The Right-wing businessman and xenophobe, Arron Banks, who funds Ukip and made a huge financial contribution towards the 'Leave' campaign, appears to have been a spokesperson for the weekend's protests and is scaremongering yet again, asserting that the EU will attempt to "cull what is left of the British (fishing) industry" and that we are "staring down the barrel of a gun with this transition deal."

Meanwhile Defra have contradicted Banks, asserting that it had already negotiated with the EU, and that the British share of the common fisheries catch would not be reduced over the transition period, which is about "delivering a smooth and orderly Brexit."

So who do we believe? Personally I wouldn't trust either of them! Certainly not a major political funder and businessman who has his own agenda... Nor Defra, who have appeared to have been under the thrall of the large trawler fishing fleets elsewhere in Britain, and who have not supported the New Under Ten Fishermens Association (NUTFA website), and certainly not supported the sustainable fishing policy promised by the Coastal Champions 5-point action plan (blog) signed up to by our MP, the Member of Parliament for Hastings & Rye, 3 years ago!

The only thing I can add is, watch this space...