Waterdance took part in a visit by UK Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer on Thursday 9th March. We welcomed the Minister aboard the beam trawler Barentszee of Ladram, where he met skipper Shaun Gibbs along with Rowan Carter and Martyn Youell from the Waterdance management team. He saw the Ecomotus, hydrogen-based fuel saving technology aboard and learned about the upcoming trial of the Sumwing hydrofoil fishing gear design to cut fuel use and reduce seabed impact, which the Western Fish Producers’ Organisation has spearheaded.

Topics of policy discussion included:

• protection for key fishing grounds during the expansion of floating marine wind farms off Southwest England
• the need for stability in the UK quota allocation methods to allow companies the certainty to invest in modernising fleets to improve safety and working conditions, as well as reduced fuel consumption
• the need for a phased approach to changes to working visas for crew from outside the UK
• Waterdance’s desire to progress the fisheries management plans that replace the EU common fisheries policy and for these to be implemented in a way that avoids negative social and economic impacts

The minister was particularly interested in our Bluefin tuna catch and release tagging vessel taking anglers from Plymouth, the Eloise of Ladram.