UK exploring impacts of flyseining in new government consultation

A consultation that will gather evidence on the impact of flyseining in English waters to support sustainable fishing and reduce the pressure on fish stocks has been launched by the U.K. government.

Also known as flyshooting or demersal seining, flyseining involves long, weighted ropes that herd fish into the mouth of the trawl. The method is used to target demersal species which live or feed on or near the seabed, such as red mullet, gurnards, and squid. Many of these fish are non-quota stocks (NQS), with no limit on how much can be fished.

While the practice has been around for decades, recently larger flyseining vessels belonging to a number of different countries have been operating in the English exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with double the gross tonnage, engine power, and vessel length of traditional vessels.

Parts of the U.K. fishing industry and some environmental organizations have raised concerns about flyseining's potential impact on fish stocks, particularly those on which there is only limited data.

Measures under consideration include restricting the number of vessels with flyseining gear, the power of the engines on vessels using the gear, and placing limits on the gear itself.

“We want our fishing industry to thrive for generations to come and we must ensure our stocks are sustainably managed. That’s why we are consulting on potential measures to mitigate the impacts of flyseining on non-quota stocks," U.K. Fisheries Minister Victoria Prentis said. "I encourage all those from the catching sector and wider fishing industry to share their views."

Through the 2020 Fisheries Act, the U.K. government has identified potential measures that could be applied to the fishing of non-quota stocks in English waters to safeguard the future sustainability of these species. Proposals for the consultation include:

• Introducing an “entitlement” which would restrict the number of vessels with flyseining gear (through the 200-nautical-mile EEZ);
• Restricting engine power for demersal seine gears to 221kW or 600kw to to 12 miles from shore;
• Removing an exemption that currently allows a 40-milimeter mesh size in a directed squid fishery in the EEZ;
• Restricting vessels’ rope diameter used in flyseine gear to 30 to 40mm;
• Restricting vessels’ rope length used in flyseine gear to 1,500 meters for in-shore fisheries and 3,000 to 3,200 meters in offshore fisheries.

This consultation complements work to develop a fisheries management plan for demersal non-quota species in the English Channel, and will also look at longer-term management approaches for a number of the species targeted by larger flyseine vessels.

The consultation will run for 12 weeks, through 17 November, 2022.  

Photo courtesy of Greenpeace