Blog — The Scottish White Fish Producers Association Ltd

Latest

EU Exit – Registration and Inspection of Fishing Vessels

15th June 2020

June 2020 To: All Fishing Vessel Owners in Scotland Dear Sir/Madam, EU Exit – Registration and Inspection of Fishing Vessels Action Required – Contact your Local Authority as soon as possible If your catch is exported, either directly or indirectly, to any EU Member State at the end of the “Transition Period” […]

April

A time for working together

28th April 2020

Like most areas of business, the seafood sector in Scotland is in the midst of a very testing and trying time. Lost markets for a number of high-end species such as Scallop and prawns and significantly reduced demand for whitefish has led to a high number of vessels tying to the quayside. A limited number […]

RFS Group Certified

24th April 2019

With great pleasure we announce that SWFPA is now certified as a group in the Responsible Fishing Scheme. The current approved members can be found on the RFS section on our website . The group is the first to gain certification of its sort.

February

RFS Update

14th February 2019

By James Buchan – Internal RFS Auditor During the first quarter of last year I started auditing potential vessels for entry into the RFS scheme through SWFPA. There were challenges, primarily as to the burden put on fishermen with paperwork. Largely this has been removed and simplified. We have since moved on and are now […]

January

Preparing cod

28th January 2019

Preparing cod for the fish market…

December

Award

17th December 2018

It was an honour and privilege to be awarded an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list, which was in recognition of my contribution to marine conservation. I was especially delighted to receive it from HRH Prince Charles who has done so much in his own right to raise awareness of marine related issues and […]

Windfarms in Scottish Waters – Floating vs. Fixed

4th December 2018

The technology around wind turbines changed massively over the last few years. Many windfarm operators have applied for new licences only a short while after a licence was given, due to new possibilities they didn’t thought possible. Materials become cheaper, turbines taller, possibilities larger. The fishing sector welcomes bigger turbines. Bigger turbines often mean […]

November

Statement on illegal scallop fishing in Gairloch

14th November 2018

Mike Park, chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association, condemned the recent illegal activity in Gairloch, especially as it is an area where vulnerable marine habitats are being protected. He underlined the fact that operators of the vast majority of scallop vessels in the UK behave responsibly and fish within the law and […]

Brexit Opportunities

2nd November 2018

Brexit will give opportunities to rural Scottish villages. How? Find out in the video below! Mike Park SWFPA from Paul Riddell on Vimeo.

October

Opening Peterhead Fish Market

2nd October 2018

SWFPA chief executive Mike Park greeted HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, and discussed the progress of talks towards a new post-Brexit settlement for fisheries during his visit to formally open the new Peterhead Fishmarket on Saturday 29th September. At a stand exhibiting the association’s work on sustainability, crew welfare, the environment, the Responsible Fisheries Scheme […]

September

Marine Spatial Planning

25th September 2018

The ocean is getting busier. Marine traffic, aquaculture, tourism, renewable energy, oil & gas, seabed mining and of course fisheries are all competing for space. Many sectors use the same or neighbouring locations. For example, wind turbines need soft debris to allow their anchors to hold; these are often areas, which are inhabited by highly […]

Venture sailing from Kinlochbervie

10th September 2018

Beautiful sight of one of our members leaving Kinlochbervie for a fishing trip!

August

Windfarms in Scottish Waters

28th August 2018

There are currently 10 renewable energy projects in Scottish waters: MORL West – Applying for licence in 2018 Kincardine – Licenced, 2018 / 2019 expected construction Forthwind Offshore – Licenced, 2019 expected construction Inch Cape Offshore – Licenced, 2019 / 2020 expected construction SeaGreen – Licenced, 2019 / 2020 expected construction MORL East – Licenced, 2019 / 2020 expected […]

Fish Market

14th August 2018

After catching, the fish will be carefully checked and sold at a fish market. In this vlog shows the observers checking the fish on the market.

July

Foreign Crew in the whitefish fleet

9th July 2018

Another fishermen vlog, on foreign crew: very skilled men from all over the world on board the Scottish whitefish fleet. SWFPA1 from Paul Riddell on Vimeo.

June

Venture Trip

18th June 2018

Always working for the freshest fish! Another fisherman’s vlog showing life onboard a fishing vessel!

Mike Park OBE

9th June 2018

SWFPA chief executive Mike Park has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to marine conservation. The association has been at the forefront of work to restore the health of stocks and protect the marine ecosystem, engaging and collaborating with the environmental lobby in the process. “My name is on it, but […]

Aquaculture and fisheries

4th June 2018

There is an increasing number of fish farms on the West coast of Scotland. The farms, often growing salmon, contain 10 to 16 cages, each with a circumference of 80 to 120 meters. The cages are surrounded by moorings to keep the cages in place. The moorings can stretch like tentacles on the seabed for […]

May

Hauling in bad weather

20th May 2018

Weather on sea is not always good… But fishing continues!

Responsible Fishing Scheme

3rd May 2018

Written by James Buchan – Internal Auditor May update The Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS) was introduced to maintain a standard that is acceptable to retail customers demands. In March, in collaboration with retailers, the SWFPA decided to actively pursue owners to commit to the RFS scheme. Presently there are 42 SWFPA 5 MNWFA vessels certified […]

April

Old Venture Shooting & Hauling Gear

25th April 2018

Learn all about the life of a fisherman in our fisherman’s vlogs!

Brexit

10th April 2018

Mention the words Brexit and fisheries and the words sell out and betrayal might follow soon after. The vague Brexit rhetoric recently of taking back control really meant something to British fishermen and coastal communities. The time has come, they say, to reclaim an industry that Ted Heath and his Conservative Government handed over to […]

New Job

6th April 2018

Well, that’s me over 2 months into my role at SWFPA. For those that don’t know me, the bulk of my career has seen me heavily involved in and managing; Research vessel demersal surveys Observer sampling on commercial vessels Sampling of landings at ports and factories. It is with this background that I spent my […]