Coastal Marine National Parks, and an Abundant Future from a Natural Living Asset.
http://www.naturallivingassets.com/
Marine Parks Opportunity
Regarding your reports of proposals to implement Coastal Marine National Park(CMNP), the fishing industry has a real opportunity to take a lead by adopting a holistic response to these plans .
Rather than dismissing Marine parks it is imperative to demonstrate a desire to implement sustainable fishing practices that support diversity and abundance. The future for the traditional fishing industry would be more certain if natural environments and habitat management produced bigger, more abundant and diverse fish stocks. Greater value for local communities could be harnessed by embracing a sustainable fisheries plan to increase diversity and abundance. Fishermen, local communities and environmentalists could then work towards a common goal. Sustainable fisheries valued for their true worth. A successful outcome for Marine parks would be measurable economic and socioeconomic gains where local fishermen can fish productively by adding value. Narrow self interest blinds the greater good and all the economic and socio-economic benefits that would follow by investing in a more abundant future. Fishermen and environmentalists would all like to see the value of the fishing resource increased to reflect true value.
Yours sincerely
Brendan Kerr
19 Swanston Gardens
Edinburgh
EH10 7DJ
brendan@naturallivingassets.com
Further Notes
Industry and future value for the commercial fishing industry. When the natural environment is exploited with an abundant future in mind then more and bigger fish will result. The Fishing Industry has a great future if as suggested it can be a key player in developing more sustainable fisheries.
There is a real need for those fishing and exploiting our greatest natural resource to communicate that they are indeed fishing in a sustainable and responsible way. What is there to fear except being misunderstood and misrepresented? Can fishermen expect to have coastal habitats to themselves, or is there a requirement to work for a greater good measured by sustainable outcomes? Fishermen fear the environmental lobby probably because there are many areas of misunderstanding and competing self interest.
The aim of many environmentalists is to look for reassurance that industry in general progresses in a way that enhances the future value of the natural environment. The oil industry and aqua culture industries compete for some part of the resource.
It is imperative that fishermen and the public in general are informed about the natural riches in the environment and implement behaviours that truly value the future. Marine parks on face value seem like a very good idea. It was said by a Scottish Executive fisherman’s representative that the health of Scotland’s marine resource are in good shape as demonstrated by a 17 % increase in the prawn quota.
Prawns require a certain habitat to be abundant. Arguably the habitat on which they are abundant is compromised due to lack of diversity.
Fishing News 26 Jan 2007
Marine spatial planning, to ensure the best use of Marine resources,
Editorial “it is easy to see where fishing will fit into the scheme of things – at the bottom of the pile”
Against Marine Parks
Environmental bodies will have to peursude the Government of their necessity for greater ecomonic gain and sustainabiltiy.
Areas closed to fishing
The industry can only respond to these pressures by continuing to vigorously promote its green credentials and a positive image as Seafood Scotland made a start at doing at the beginning of the year.
SFF “ there are no clear benefits of a Marine park ?? What are the advantages of a MarinePark To WHO????
A number of Local authorities Highlands, and Islands enterprise, The Scottish Crofting Foundation, have also opposed the proposals WHY
Lochaber and Mull preneted a petition asking for a local referendum.
FOR
Berite Armstrong “ this flies in the face of the evidence that all the main target species of the Scottish Fleet are Healthy and being fished sustainably.
Scottish Parliament’s Environment and Rural Development Committee presented Evidence that the marine environment was in excellent health as evidence by 17 % increase in the west of Scotland prawn quota as agreed by scientific evidence
BERTIE ARMSTRONG
Two reasons for rejecting the proposals
- Don’t see any balance of benefits from joining up
- Environmental organisations are pressing for totally unwarranted and inappropriate interference in the activities of fishing boats in any designated park area. ( abundance and diversity and habitat protection go hand in hand. The exploitation of our natural asset should be a combination of diversity abundance sustainability high value added greater good and an improved quality of life for all those living in and depending on a natural resource. They do have a responsibility to protect the value of the future whilst harvesting for the needs of today. Increasingly we live in a world where fishermen need to consider the wider impacts of their local actions. As was pointed out in Fishing news in reference to Cod recovery there is a real need for fishermen to understand scientists environmentalists and economists. There is a common purpose to working together. Self interest is a problem though and fishermen do need to defend their stocks and rights to fish whilst striving to ensure a greater good and future value. We are all interdependent. Scallops and prawns are currently important but there is a bigger picture to be seen. Habitat protection is a vital part of a more diverse and abundant future.
Angus Mc Donald
We have no real answers so far. We want to make sure the CNMP goes I the right place with local support and doesn’t disadvantage local communities “
Bill Armstrong support ficusing on MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING to acheive
20 sites by 2020