In the lead-up to polling day, Fathom has produced a flash series detailing the key priorities for the UK fishing industry. With few references to fishing in the main parties’ plans, Chris Ranford, Fathom’s co-host and Chief Executive of the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation sits down alongside Mike Cohen, the CEO of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations to lay out the action they would like to see from the incoming government.

In this second instalment, we explore the future of fisheries management. Over the course of the last parliament, the government has developed and begun to roll out one of the biggest overhauls in fisheries management and decision-making in decades, following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy. The idea behind Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) is to replace the EU’s top-down system with one that invites collaboration between fisheries managers and fishermen themselves. 

If a new government takes charge from July 5th, what do they do with the ambitious timetable set out in the joint fisheries statement, as well as the design and implementation of FMPs? Mike and Chris offer their view. 

Find the CFPO’s election manifesto here: https://cfpo.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CFPO-manifesto-2.pdf

The fourth series of the Fathom podcast has been produced by the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation (CFPO) with funding from The Seafarers' Charity.