Visit us online for news, features and nostalgia £3.30 23 January 2020 Issue: 5498 fishingnews.co.uk TURN TO PAGE 2 FOR THE FULL BREXIT TRADE-OFF DANGER REPORT New Amethyst arrives at Fraserburgh from Killybegs REGIONAL NEWS Amethyst leaving Killybegs earlier Pathway lands first mackerel this month. of 2020 at Peterhead The local pelagic vessel Pathway PD 165 landed the first mackerel of the year at Peterhead on Friday, 10 January, reports David Linkie. Having sailed once a severe northwesterly gale moved east across the North Sea to give a small window of more favourable conditions, Pathway joined an international fleet of boats fishing north of Shetland, before returning to Peterhead 48 hours later. The Fraserburgh midwater trawler Unity followed Pathway to Peterhead to land a few hours later. Although good marks were reported, fishing was quickly halted again at the start of last week by storm-force southerly gales, which forced those boats on the grounds to seek shelter around Shetland. The new 20.25m twin-rig prawn trawler Amethyst BF 19 arrived at Fraserburgh earlier this month following her delivery passage from Killybegs, reports David Linkie. Designed by SC McAllister & Co Ltd, Amethyst was fully built and fitted out by Mooney Boats Ltd for Gardenstown skipper Ralston Johnston and Westward Fishing. While severe southerly gales and spring tides curtailed fishing activity in the North Sea last week, skippers Ralston and Roy Johnston and Amethyst’s crew prepared for their maiden trip while the necessary paperwork was finalised. Amethyst is powered by a Mitsubishi S6R2- Pathway landing the first mackerel of the year at T2MPTK-3 main engine (480kW @ 1,800rpm) driving a Peterhead. (Photo: Ryan Cordiner) 2,100mm-diameter propeller housed in a matching nozzle through a Reintjes 7.09:1 reduction gearbox. Amethyst berthed in Fraserburgh harbour under the loom continues on page 3 of Kinnaird Head lighthouse. REGIONAL NEWS FISHING NEWS AWARDS 2020 MAKE YOUR NOMINATIONS NOW! The Fishing News Awards shine a spotlight on the achievements, expertise, and innovation of the UK and Ireland’s commercial fishing industries in 2019 CATEGORIES RANGE ACROSS THE WHOLE OF COMMERCIAL FISHING ★ Demersal Fisherman of the Year ★ Service Company of the Year NOMINATE YOUR FAVOURITES NOW ONLINE ★ Pelagic Fisherman of the Year ★ Fishing Port of the Year ★ Shellfish Fisherman of the Year – ★ New Boat of the Year AT FISHINGNEWS.CO.UK/AWARDS Sponsored by Peterhead Port Authority ★ Trainee Fisherman of the Year – ★ Independent Fresh Fish Retailer Sponsored by Sunderland Marine The winners will be announced at a gala dinner with of the Year ★ Young Fisherman of the Year – ★ Fish Processor of the Year Sponsored by Seafish live entertainment, held in Aberdeen on 14 May 2020 ★ The Sustainability Award – Sponsored ★ Lifetime Achievement Award – by The Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Sponsored by The Scottish White Fish Charitable Trust Producers Association Ltd 2 NEWS Visit us at fishingnews.co.uk and on Twitter @YourFishingNews 23 January 2020 EU chief voices fsheries/City trade-off plan Financial services protection in return for access floated An EU chief suggested last week that the UK will have to allow EU feets to keep their existing fshing rights in UK waters in return for the EU offering a fnancial services deal, reports Tim Oliver Trade commissioner Phil for completion of the fsheries Hogan, a former Irish minister agreement is 1 July, 2020, to allow now in charge of Brexit trade it to be used to determine fshing negotiations, told the Irish opportunities in 2021 when the Independent: “There certainly transition period ends. will be trade-offs, particularly at Phil Hogan’s comments on a the end of the negotiations. The fsheries and City trade-off came EU will be seeking concessions as EU diplomats were presented on fshery access and the UK with the main principles of the will very probably be seeking free trade agreement on Monday. concessions on fnancial This includes that negotiations EU trade commissioner Phil services.” on access to waters and quota Hogan has suggested that the The UK’s fnancial services shares would be made ‘within UK will have to grant extensive sector will lose its automatic the context of the economic fishing rights for EU fleets in right to operate in the EU partnership’. return for access to the EU’s “There are, of course, interesting ramifications between EU single market at the end of the While offcials and diplomats financial markets. (Photo: EPA) access to Sweaty Betty and the financial services aspects transition period in December, behind the scenes have that this involves... I see this one going to the wire.” and the EU will demand access suggested that there will be trade- quota-free trade. for its feets in return for a deal offs between different sectors in She said that while Britain is waters as UK vessels fsh in EU make any concessions until ‘the to maintain the City of London’s the Brexit negotiations, the trade a friend of the EU, it will have to waters.” It added: “The scene is very last minute’. She said: “I current fnancial relations with commissioner’s specifc linkage decide ‘how close to, or distant set for a dramatic trial of strength.” think it would be crazy for the the EU. Financial services of fshing rights to access to EU from, the biggest single market Commenting on the UK to make the concessions exports to the EU are worth fnancial markets for the City is in the world they want to be’. forthcoming negotiations, Sarah now because that would create around £26bn a year to the UK believed to be the frst time a Britain’s position on this would Barnard, a professor of EU law at time for a protest. It may be that economy. senior offcial has publicly made determine the progress of the Trinity College, Cambridge, said concessions are made at the Meanwhile, senior EU such a suggestion. negotiations. that the UK would be unlikely to very last moment.” fgures have warned that the By linking fshing rights to The NFFO said that the two EU will maintain a united front fnancial markets access, the EU sides will enter the negotiations to strongly defend its interests trade commissioner departed holding ‘polar opposite positions’ ‘Politically sensitive’ negotiations in the Brexit negotiations, and signifcantly from Brussels’ stance – radical change in the case of the Further evidence of the that the challenge ahead is have also warned of the need to on future trade talks up until now. UK versus the status quo for the diffcult negotiations ahead ‘unprecedented in scale’, with avoid confrontations at sea (see Ursula von der Leyen, the EU. came last week from the EU around 100 TACs on shared below). European commission president, It said: “The EU may have the Commission’s Task Force stocks to be negotiated. Negotiations on the future said in Luxembourg that the strongest hand of cards to play on for Relations with the UK “The European Council relationship between the EU UK would also have to sign up trade because of the sheer size (UKTF). will demonstrate particular and the UK will start soon after to commitments on state aid of its economy. On fshing, the In an internal presentation vigilance as regards the UK offcially leaves the EU and environmental and labour situation is reversed. EU feets fsh on 14 January to the EU safeguarding the rights on 31 January. The target date standards to allow tariff-free and around six times as much in UK Council working party on and interests of citizens, preparatory discussions the necessity to maintain on the future fsheries ambitious level playing feld ‘Complex’ talks and need to avoid ‘skirmishes’ at sea relationship with the UK conditions, and to protect EU leaders have warned that the Brexit after Brexit, the UKTF said fshing enterprises and withdrawal negotiations this year will be that the negotiations would coastal communities,” says ‘complex’ and ‘diffcult’, and have hinted at the be ‘complex’ and ‘politically the document. possibility of confrontations at sea over fshing sensitive’, with the possibility Negotiations on fsheries access and quota rights, reports Tim Oliver. of a ‘cliff edge’ on 1 January, will take place within the Senior offcial Charles Michel, president of the 2021. context of the overall Council of the European Union, said that the EU It said that ‘in the overall economic partnership, and respected the UK’s decision to leave the EU but context of the FTA [free include a direct link with stressed that the EU will defend the interests of trade agreement], existing negotiations on trade in EU citizens. reciprocal access to fshing goods under the ‘ambitious He was speaking at a press conference after waters and resources should free trade agreement’. a meeting in Zagreb with Andrej Plenkovic, be maintained’. The aim will be to It said that a fsheries conclude and ratify the deal the prime minister of Croatia, which holds the European Council president Charles Michel agreement is a priority, and by 1 July, 2020. rotating presidency of the EU for the frst six (left) and Andrej Plenkovic, prime minister months of the year, when the crucial fsheries of Croatia, which will head up the Brexit negotiations will take place, and will head up the negotiations. (Photo: AFP) talks. Charles Michel said that the frst priority of the His comments referred to the notorious ‘cod presidency will be to implement the withdrawal wars’ between the UK and Iceland in the 1970s, New Amethyst arrives at agreement. when Iceland extended its fsheries limit to “It will be complex. It will be diffcult,” he said. 50 miles and then to 200 miles between 1972 Fraserburgh from Killybegs and 1976.