Project Description

 

The White Fish fishery is an extremely important one from a socio economic point of view particularly for those smaller inshore vessels based in rural, coastal peripheral areas. There are a number of whitefish species form part of this fishery but the initial focus of the FIP has been on:

  • Haddock and Whiting
  • Hake, Monk and Megrim

During the prospective stage of the FIP an MSC pre assessment of the fishery has been carried out and are currently being reviewed and which will form the basis of the FIP workplans going forward.

The FIP’s membership is made up of fishermen, co operative associations, processors and retailers.

Setting up a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) is one way in which the market demands in relation to sustainability can be met:

  • A FIP operates by means of a collaborative alliance of buyers, suppliers, and producers.
  • Identify the challenges in a fishery, e.g., data deficiency, management issues
  • Develop a plan, to be carried out over a number of years, to address the issues
  • The stakeholders work together to improve a fishery over the life of the plan

Participants in the Irish White Fish Fisheries have initiated a FIP to:

  • Protect the long term future of the white fish stocks in our waters
  • Keep access to discerning markets for our white fish products
  • Enable our fishermen to get best possible prices for the white fish they land