[BBC News] Scallop survey results defended

[Sharp]

Very good post BUT the Islands fisherment did not do themselves any favours this time. DAFF asked the Manx Fisherment to consider having that area closed off for a year or two which would have prevented all other boats as well as the Manx from fishing the area, they turned the idea down flat, Greed

[staaue]

And the UK have our nations interests in mind eh..... I can't believe we allow this!!!!!

 

It begs the question, is it Phil Gawne doing nothing, or is he hindered by UK red tape and bureaucracy; forcing his obedience.

 

I would love to know exactly what gives the UK this right to do this to us..

 

We live in a democracy don't we... yeh right... How can this be a free country - or is free meant to mean the UK is free to do what it likes!! Ok I'm ranting, I'm just so furious at the arrogance.

 

Hands up who thinks we live in a democracy, and have the freedom to flourish?

[keyboarder]

Hands up who thinks we live in a democracy, and have the freedom to flourish?

We do live in a democracy - that's what your vote is for. Freedom to Flourish is a meaningless advertising slogan dreamt up by someone who probably wears braces a lot and uses phrases like brand recognition and target market.

[homarus]

To be fair to Phil Gawne, he is a proud manxman and I know he really wanted the job in D.A.F.F. but I suspect that now he is safely in his dream position he may have realised that as far as the job goes "It is not quite what it says on the tin.".

He can only act on the information he is being given by his officers ,unfortunately at this particular time ,it does not seem to be good information?

 

It doesn't help when Manx fisheries have signed a agreement with the U.K. to give Manx fishermen access to U.k inshore waters, "the downside being " we have to allow U.K. (England,scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland) Fishermen equal rights to fish in Manx waters.

If you talk to people in fisheries ,they will tell you ,they are not allowed to act in favour of Manx fishermen ahead of thier

U.K. counterparts.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that this agreement is a recipe for disaster for the Isle of Man and the Manx fisheries , when you take into account the size difference of the U.K. fleet(1000's?)and thier catching power against the Manx fleet of about 24 scallop boats ?.

 

Which brings us back to D.A.f.f. and the running thereof.

The next scandal to break will be in the crab and lobster side of the fishery , Irish concerns having pretty much wiped out thier own stocks inshore are pushing very hard for access to the Manx crab and lobster fishery (which they will wipe out fairly quickly if they gain access in any numbers) ,in consultation with our own D.A.F.F.

Two Irish boats have already been issued with permits to fish in Manx waters by our department , one of those has already been prosecuted for illegal fishing in Manx waters after obtaining its permit.

It's madness ! ,if people in this department whose wages are being paid by the manx taxpayer to act for the Isle of man and its people , are unable or unwilling to find a way forward ,to work for the benefit of the Isle of Man and its interests , they should be replaced with people who will .

 

Otherwise what is the point of wasting four and a half million quid per year in wages etc, on these clowns ?

We may as well hand over to the U.K. and save the money! they seem to be calling the shots now anyway?

[TerryMcCann]

Future history...........

 

as a result of a dispute over fishing zones, in early 2008; the Isle of Man declared war on the United Kingdom - this conflict became known as the "queeny war"

 

With the first act of war being Dale Winton bombing Guys and Dolls

[homarus]

Future history...........

 

as a result of a dispute over fishing zones, in early 2008; the Isle of Man declared war on the United Kingdom - this conflict became known as the "queeny war"

 

With the first act of war being Dale Winton bumming Guys, and Dolls

[staaue]

Hands up who thinks we live in a democracy, and have the freedom to flourish?

We do live in a democracy - that's what your vote is for. Freedom to Flourish is a meaningless advertising slogan dreamt up by someone who probably wears braces a lot and uses phrases like brand recognition and target market.

 

Ok, maybe I'm not explaining what I meant. Hands up who thinks we live in a democracy, where our representatives do the job we pay for and fight for the best interests of our country. Or, who thinks we live in a political system mimicking a democracy, where our representatives follow what they are told by a higher authority, which isn't us!!!!

 

To be fair to Phil Gawne, he is a proud manxman and I know he really wanted the job in D.A.F.F. but I suspect that now he is safely in his dream position he may have realised that as far as the job goes "It is not quite what it says on the tin.".

He can only act on the information he is being given by his officers ,unfortunately at this particular time ,it does not seem to be good information?

 

He has my admiration, and I agree with what you're saying; I'm angry that he has been put in such a position, but I can't help feel he should be doing more. At the very least, I hope he kicks some arse for allowing this situation to arise!!!!!

[Skeddan]

Very good post BUT the Islands fisherment did not do themselves any favours this time. DAFF asked the Manx Fisherment to consider having that area closed off for a year or two which would have prevented all other boats as well as the Manx from fishing the area, they turned the idea down flat, Greed

Sharp – this is relevant, but I’m not sure it’s a ‘BUT’.

 

I completely agree with you that the Island’s fishermen didn’t do themselves any favours. At the least they didn’t do the Manks fishing industry any favours.

 

I think it’s pretty poor for the Minister of DAFF to simply carry out the wishes of Manks commercial fisherman rather than be concerned about rational management of fishery resources. It looks like Phil Gawne seems to think he cannot do anything without the approval of the Manks commercial fishermen. The fallacy here is to think that the interests of Manks commercial fisherman are the same as those of the Manks fisheries management and this group has an ‘enlightened’ understanding aimed at a long term sustainable fishing industry rather than – as you say - greed (the kind known as ‘business drivers’). Fisheries policies should not be left to the hands of commercial fishing outfits – if this point is not obvious (as it seems not to be to some), the following might be worth bearing in mind:

 

i) Commercial fishing outfits are commercial enterprises and have business drivers. They exist to make money, and £100 today is worth more than £120 in 3 years (depending on interest rates etc.). Maximisation of profits or shareholder value is the key.

 

ii) A commercial enterprise is not fixed to a sector and should not be assumed to have long lasting loyalties. They can exit the sector – just as Nokia went from forestry to mobile phones. Given half a chance they might simply ‘asset strip’ and cash out – leaving nothing behind.

 

iii) One might consider that the commercial outfits who are active in the Manks fishing industry may not be wholly Manks owned. Hypothetically it might be attractive for UK fishing outfits and consortia to buy into Manks fishing businesses so as to influence for opening Manks waters for UK fishing (see homarus’ post in this thread).

 

iv) The ability of fishing outfits to ‘rationally manage of fishing resources’ is indicated by the shocking wastefulness of ’discards’ with over 2m tonnes of fish – and up to 50% of some catches are thrown away and wasted.

 

v) If the Minister for DAFF is simply going to carry out the wishes of Manks commercial fisherman, then what justification is there for this role – why not cut out the middle man – as homarus says. The justification is that there is a need for regulation and management – which is not being properly carried out.

 

 

I wholly agree that the Minister for DAFF should have closed the area off for a year or two, and the reason he did not do so was no doubt simply following with the wishes of Manks fishing outfits.

 

However, all that said, once opened up for fishing – either when it was, in this season, or in a year or two, then under current arrangements it would be open to the UK and Irish fishing fleets just as before.

 

Phil Gawne was remiss in not taking a proactive stance on fisheries management rather than just acting at the beck and call of Manks fishing outfits. The problem wasn’t the Manks fishing outfits themselves – they must be expected to act according to business drivers – the Minister should make his own decisions for sensible management.

 

However this does not mean he was also not remiss in asserting and defending Manks fishing rights as they should be.

 

I agree 100% with homarus’ views about this (and the additional info homarus provides only shows the problem is not limited to just this one instance).

 

I particularly agree with homarus that :

 

He can only act on the information he is being given by his officers ,unfortunately at this particular time ,it does not seem to be good information?

 

IMO Phil Gawne needs to start getting good information rather than just listening to the Mandarins in Whitehall and acting at the behest of fishing outfits. I imagine his situation is a bit like ‘Yes Minister’ with civil servants ‘facilitating’ the right decisions, making things so difficult to understand he is bamboozled into accepting what is wanted.

 

Contra to what has been suggested elsewhere, it is not my view that Phil Gawne is an ‘agent for Imperialism’, nor do I think he doesn’t have good intentions. My view though is he needs to get some lead in his pencil, stop being a wuss to the Whitehall weasels, and start acting like a Manks Minister – asserting and defending Manks fishing rights and ensuring these are sensibly managed.

[Sharp]

Can we not learn from the mistakes made by others.

 

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