Clyde Cod Box closure was a measure fishermen initiated themselves

This approach of grappling for coverage seems to work for some groups, particularly those who value a high profile and want to attract political pressure and perhaps funding. For others who perhaps don’t work in the campaigning field, like fishermen generally, it can be frequently unproductive and funnel very limited time away from the work needed for improving fisheries management, or working sustainably at sea.   

The Clyde has certainly become a marine region of intense interest. The strain this has placed on small-scale embattled fishing communities cannot be underplayed. It feels significantly out of balance and proportion.   

In recent years many involved in local fishing feel level-headed decisions have given way to management by pressure, not by dialogue, partnership or even science. Campaigns have become almost gladiatorial in nature. Numerous interest groups gather as jousting for the dominant narratives begins over and over with predictable frequency.

Small-scale fishing communities have seen their boat numbers rapidly decline in a handful of years. This is not due to collapsed stocks, but to many factors including infrastructure and investment, spatial squeeze, increasing restrictions on fishing, increasing operating costs, coastal demographics and crewing issues. However without a doubt the pressure and mental health stress bearing down hard on some fishing families has resulted in them leaving their livelihoods.              

To be very clear, the fishing communities of the Clyde are not largescale international industrial factory ships fishing 24/7. They are family concerns who often go out and return daily. Most aim to fish four or five days a week maximum if weather permits, which it often doesn’t.

The CFA represents both static and mobile gear fishermen, they are smaller-scale inshore boats and generally work well together, despite claims over the years of continual gear conflict and drama, it’s something we rarely experience.  

Read more:

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Regular neutral science and socio-economics should play a key role in helping to form management, but often fishermen feel let down in these areas.  In the last year the Scottish Government had a marine compliance budget overspend of under £29m, whilst its science budget remained underspent at £14.3m. Whilst nobody would object to adequate compliance, science budgets sitting at around half of the expenditure of compliance budgets annually should be noteworthy.  

The Herald has launched an in-depth series (Image: Damian Shields)

In these times of budget constraints it isn’t always about large spends but trust and collaboration. Most inshore fishing boats would be more than willing to work with the Scottish Government and scientists as a hybrid fishing and scientific reference fleet.  Such an approach would permit regular capturing of data. Fishing boats with neutral observers could be an excellent cost-effective resource and countries such as Norway already implement such schemes. If environmental interest groups are being supported by governmental funding schemes from bodies like NatureScot to conduct citizen science, it only seems fair that fishermen have a similar ability to contribute.      

In terms of stocks in the Clyde, langoustine is a key catch for local boats and they are currently in healthy abundance according to national and international advice.  Some might say MPAs implemented around eight years ago are helping boost fish stocks, but the Scottish Government’s Clyde Ecosystem Report first published in 2012 before the establishment of the MPAs. This report detailed the biomass of demersal fish in the Clyde in the decades 1990 to 1999 and 2000 to 2009 was over 8000, representing approximately four times the biomass of fish in the decade 1940 to 1939 (around 2000 tonnes).  It was acknowledged that some species of fish are smaller individually despite the overall increased biomass.  It would be excellent to have biomass of demersal fish in the years from 2009 to 2024, especially given the reduction in fishing effort in the Clyde since 2009.

Elaine Whyte, executive secretary, Clyde Fishermen's Association (Image: CFA)

Local fishermen go to great lengths to use and develop selective gear so as not to catch fish which they don’t have quota or processing facilities for. Often the strapline is “fish landings are low so stocks are depleted”, but with selective gear designed not to catch fish landings aren’t a reflection of the actual stocks in the sea, but perhaps a reflection of advances in gear technology.                   

In all of the controversy surrounding the Clyde Cod Box it would be easy to miss the original closure was a measure local fishermen initiated themselves.

Local fishermen helped to inform the first MPA designations by providing their fishing data and knowledge, although they opposed the politically ambitious decision to go over and above the proposed closures in the Clyde following a widescale campaign. 

A little-acknowledged fact is local fishermen were also an establishing partner of the No Take Zone at Lamlash along with the Scottish Government and Arran COAST.  Now the initiative is most often linked only to COAST.  The Clyde is the only area in the country to have a weekend ban on mobile fishing which local fishermen themselves proposed.  Fishermen of the Clyde also developed a pilot project on creel limits, it’s one of only two areas in the country which have voluntary limits on creels. 

Unfortunately in some instances the very projects local fishing communities helped to create have developed into externally well -funded high profile initiatives which many fishermen feel has ultimately led to them being actively excluded or even worked against. 

The saddest lesson this risks teaching other fishing communities is not to work with some partners, it never had to be this way and it shouldn’t be. In the view of most local Clyde fishing communities that which is often loudly hailed as good practice by some would not be a model they could ever recommend.  We hope for a better way going forward. 

Elaine Whyte is the executive secretary of the Clyde Fishermen's Association