OUTER HEBRIDES INSHORE FISHERIES GROUP

Transcription

1 OUTER HEBRIDES INSHORE FISHERIES GROUP INSHORE LINE CAUGHT MACKEREL PROJECT 2014 Report compiled by Lewis Mackenzie and Ronnie Scott

2 Table of Contents Page Background to the project 1 Scope and output of the project 1 Project methodology 1 Fishing methods 2 Catch quality 3 Catch quality 4 Care of the catch 5 Care of the catch 6 Economics 6 Conclusions 7 Recommendations 7 The authors gratefully acknowledge the support and assistance provided by: Mr Duncan MacInnes, Outer Hebrides Inshore Fisheries Group \ Western Isles fishermen s Association Mr Donald Morrison, Marine Scotland, Stornoway Stornoway Fishermen s Co-operative Fairwater Fishing Mr Mick Morris, Fishing Gear Shop

3 1 BACKGROUND TO PROJECT The development of an inshore Mackerel fishery was identified as an opportunity within the current Outer Hebrides IFG (OHIFG) Management Plan. Despite all under 10 metre licensed fishing vessels having entitlement, no significant fishery has developed on the West Coast, with only 6.6 tonnes landed in In contrast to this, approximately 300 vessels prosecute an opportunistic summer fishery in the North sea, with landings of 425 tonnes in Fishing methods include rod and line, hand-line, manual wheels with strippers and automated jigging machines. Within the OHIFG area, fishermen predominantly use the fishery to supply fresh and salted creel bait for use aboard their own vessels. A perceived lack of local markets for Mackerel has been a deterrent to vessels pursuing the seasonal fishery and historically, mixed quality fish presented for sale has prevented buyers from offering higher prices to fishermen. The establishment of minimum quality thresholds and a basic methodology for care of the catch would enable fishermen to extract a premium product from their catches which in turn would attract a higher price from buyers. Lewis Mackenzie, a local skipper, has been supplying quality line caught Mackerel and Pollock to Islander Shellfish, a Stornoway based buyer, for several years. Mackerel are sold into the local market and Pollock exported to mainland UK and France. Local demand for quality fresh whole chilled Mackerel has increased well beyond current available supply, with prices of a Kilo now being offered by Islander Shellfish. Lewis Mackenzie and Islander Shellfish subsequently proposed a premium Mackerel fishery assessment project, the scope of which was further refined and agreed with the OHIFG. SCOPE AND OUTPUT OF THE PROJECT The trial ran from May to October 2014 and examined: Comparative efficiency of rod and line, hand-line and manual wheel and stripper fishing methods. The minimum quality requirements of Mackerel in order to obtain the current per Kilo premium price. The prototype design and use of a fish size \ quality gauge. The most effective methods of storing the catch to maintain its quality to point of sale. A Quick Reference audio visual guide to maintaining catch quality was also produced. PROJECT METHODOLOGY Fishing was undertaken on 50 days during the period 3 rd May to 7 th October 2014 within the inshore area extending from Tuimpan head to the Shiant Isles in the North Minch. A 10 Kilo sample of mackerel was caught on 61 occasions, resulting in the study being based on a total landing of 610 Kilos. The samples were the first 10 Kilos of fish to be caught each time the vessel commenced fishing. Mackerel obviously less than the 20cm minimum landing size were unhooked and returned to sea, resulting in no discards. The samples were distributed free of charge to local residents, tourists and catering establishments in exchange for verbal feedback on size, condition and quality.

4 2 This information, combined with Sea Fish Industry Authority quality thresholds and those required by Islander Shellfish and other fish buyers has been utilised to determine minimum standards required for the fish to obtain a premium price. FISHING METHODS Rod and line, hand-line and manually operated wheel and stripper were utilised during the trial. All equipment was low tech and readily available from a range of suppliers. The use of computerised jigging machines was not examined due to the initial high cost of the equipment at around 4,000 per unit. Fishing Method Rod & line Hand-line Manual wheel and stripper Equipment cost Main line strength (Kilo) Hook trace strength (Kilo) No of hooks per trace (size 10-12) Lead weight (Grams) The manual wheel and stripper Gurdy system is the most expensive option, ranging in price from 500 to 1,200 depending on the design and manufacturer. All Gurdy systems work on the principle of quickly removing fish from the hooks via stripping posts as opposed to manually unhooking them, thereby considerably increasing fishing efficiency when compared to the other fishing methods: Efficiency of catching method based on fish at 10mtrs depth Average catch per minute based on time from hook-up to fish in box Rod & line 6 hooks Hand-line 10 hooks Mackerel wheel & stripper 25 hooks 4 fish 6 fish 16 fish The efficiency of all methods was impacted on negatively when fished deeper as the length of time to retrieve the hooks and deploy them again increased. Over the course of the project, the average depth of shoals of Mackerel was assessed as being around 10mtrs. It was noted that in bright sunshine fish were generally deeper and shallower in low light, dawn and dusk. Each method was found to have its merits, with rod and line being particularly useful to quickly assess the quality of the fish before deploying the Gurdy. This avoided undersize fish coming aboard in any numbers. The hand-line was found to be effective when the fishing was light in calm, sunny conditions as it allowed the fisherman to utilise lighter hooks and traces which improved catches in bright weather and clear water. The fishing effectiveness of all methods was reduced at slack water, bright sunshine and in a heavy swell. Overall, it was clearly evident that the most effective fishing method was the Gurdy due to its number of hooks and speed of unhooking. The system did however take some trial and error to be set up efficiently on the vessel and operated correctly. On larger boats, one Gurdy per crewman is possible if the layout of the vessel allows fitting.

5 3 The financial return on the capital outlay on the system is attractive, with a theoretical catch rate of around 1000 fish/hour per Gurdy in heavy fishing. Fishing methods are only effective where there are fish to be caught and it was evident from the project that inshore stocks of Mackerel were patchy, with no continuity of shoals over the summer period. CATCH QUALITY Consumers were quick to visually identify fish as being in condition or not. Commonly used descriptors for the physical appearance of the fish and fillets taken from the fish were: Physical appearance Out of condition fish Fillet from an out of condition fish In condition fish Fillet from an in condition fish Commonly described as: Thin, slim, tapered body, poor, kelt shaped, scrawny, starving Grey, grey blue Solid, round, chunky, tuna shaped, full, well fed Creamy white In line with consumer feedback and information from fish buyers, the minimum length and weight of Mackerel presented as premium fish is outlined in the table below. The length and weight also correlates with a minimum body diameter size which assists to determine the overall condition of the fish. Mackerel length (mm) Min weight (Grams) Min diameter of body at Dorsal fin (mm) Main market Domestic and catering gutted whole fish Processing filleted for smoking and salting Two sizes of Pipe Gauge were designed and trialled during the project and found to be effective in allowing the fisherman to quickly determine if fish meet the required standards. The gauges are 260mm and 300mm long, with an inside diameter of 44mm and 51mm respectively. Any fish which are shorter than the pipe and which slide through are undersize and/or out of condition. Few fish longer than 330mm were caught during the project so a larger gauge was not required. There was no significant variation in the length of mackerel over the duration of the project although in line with experience of the fishery in recent years, Mackerel in June and September were slightly better quality. Undersize fish accounted for less than 1% of the catch due to the selective fishing methods deployed. The bulk of the catch was consistently 21-25cm in length.

6 4 % of catch by length under 20cm 21-25cm 26-29cm 30cm May June July Agst Sept Oct % composition of catch - 6 month average 30cm + 14% under 20cm 1% 26-29cm 31% 21-25cm 54% Overall during the project, 45% of the total catch conformed with the minimum length required and 65% of those fish met the minimum weight \ girth requirements resulting in approximately 30% of the total catch being suitable for premium markets.

7 54% of the catch (fish 21-25cm) would not attract a premium price as they are too small for local buyer requirements. CARE OF THE CATCH The Sea Fish Industry Authority has a published quality assurance protocol for raw Mackerel which provides written specifications for the condition of the fish at the time it arrives at the customer. The purpose of the scoring specifications is to avoid ambiguity in the interpretation of the freshness of the fish. For the Outer Hebrides fishery, premium Mackerel should conform with a score of The relevant section of the protocol is contained in the Table below. SCORE SKIN AND BODY EYES GILLS GILL ODOUR 9-10 Firm body with silky smooth skin. Lateral line and Reticulations on upper surface well defined. Body colours iridescent with strong royal blue and turquoise on upper surface. Blue and violet on ventral surface with silvery sheen. Passing into rigor or in rigor. Bulging convex eye with protruding lens. Shiny jet black pupil with metallic brown iris. Eyecap water clear. Uniformly dark red with free blood and water-clear slime present. Weak, delicate odours, cloying sweet, sharp, pepper, seaweed, blood. 7-8 Loss of colour definition. Some blood stains apparent. Passing out, or out of rigor. Convex eye lens plane with cornea. Pupil less shiny, iris green / blue. Slight clouding of eye cap Dark purple / maroon with paler edge. Congealed blood present with opaque slime. 5 More definite odours as above. Fragrant, fresh grass, fruity, metallic, shellfish During the project, weather conditions varied considerably, with air temperature ranging from a low of 12c to a high of 27c during the week of 21 st 27 th July. This presented challenging conditions for the storage of the catch on deck. Flaked ice was not readily available in Stornoway on several occasions during the project, with bags of ice cubes having to be purchased as an alternative. The most effective methodology for care of the catch to maintain quality to the required standard was eventually determined as follows: Once unhooked, fish are immersed in a killer slush ice solution for no longer than 15 minutes. A 50/50 seawater and flaked ice mix was found to be suitable on all but the hottest days. Expanded polystyrene or plastic insulated 20kg capacity fish boxes were pre-iced to bring the temperature of the box down prior to receiving fish.

8 Temp c 6 Fish were placed in the box on a bottom layer of flaked ice and further layers of fish and ice are topped off with a generous layer of top ice. A maximum of 15 Kgs fish to 5 Kgs of flaked ice was found to be sufficient. The lid of the box was securely fitted and the box not opened until the point of sale. 24hr comparative analysis of box temperatures (3 kgs of ice in 20kg capacity box) Start 2 hours 4 hours Outside Air Temp Stacked open plastic Lidded insulated plastic Lidded polybox Comparative analysis of the thermal insulation properties of different box types confirmed that open plastic boxes are unsuitable for the fishery due to their poor insulating qualities. Plastic coolboxes are suitable for use in average summer weather conditions but expanded polystyrene polyboxes provided the best insulation and temperature retention over longer periods. 20kg capacity boxes were utilised to comply with manual handling legislation and also to ensure that fish in the bottom of the boxes were not squashed by the weight of fish \ ice above them. Fishermen would need to consider the deck space on their vessel and the requirements of their customers in choosing their box storage as each has its merits. Plastic coolboxes are durable, with a one off purchase giving long term use. Polyboxes are generally single use, with on-going purchases required. Polyboxes are available locally at low cost, in a variety of sizes, allowing for the catch to be packed for the customer on deck and thereby avoiding double handling. Neither nest so deck space can become constrained. ECONOMICS Based on the findings of the project during the 2014 season, and assuming fishing is heavy and consistent, maximum earnings per hour are illustrated below. The earning potential from the fishery is modest, with fish densities and fish quality giving significant variation on possible income.

9 7 Theoretical earnings calculation Rod & line Hand-line Gurdy System Fish caught per minute Theoretical number of fish per hour Premium quality saleable fish per hour (30% of catch) Kilos of saleable fish per hour (approx. 4 fish per Kilo) Theoretical earnings per 2.50 per Kilo Supplementary income could be obtained from the sale of fish in the 21-25cm size into non premium markets. CONCLUSIONS Strong local demand exists for quality Mackerel for which buyers will pay a premium price. Demand increases significantly during the summer months due to tourists looking to purchase local fish and shellfish. The equipment required for the fishery is low cost and the economic return on the investment is reasonable. The earning potential from the fishery is modest in comparison to other fisheries prosecuted over the summer months e.g. lobster, which is likely to result in a low number of fishermen targeting the fishery. The fishery lends itself to opportunistic prosecution i.e. fished only when stock densities are heavy enough to bring a good financial return. The fishery offers value added opportunities for local processors, particularly if better use could be made of the smaller (21 25cm) fish presently not in demand for direct retail. Simple methods for the selection and care of the catch will maintain the quality of the fish to the required standard. The availability and use of ice is critical to this. Traditional open plastic fish boxes are inappropriate for storage of the catch on deck. Polyboxes of different sizes allow fish to be packed aboard the vessel to customer requirements. The fishery is likely to vary from year to year, with the stock of fish and weather conditions impacting either positively or negatively on catches. RECOMMENDATIONS Hebridean Line Caught Mackerel should be marketed as such, capitalising on the Hebridean branding and the low impact, sustainable aspect of the fishery. Hebridean Line Caught Mackerel sold into the local market should command a premium price and should not be retailed for less than imported Mackerel sold by National retailers. At this is 5 per Kilo for fresh chilled whole fish. At the start of each season, fishermen should establish with their buyers the quality thresholds which their catch will be required to adhere to and what price will be paid for Mackerel which conform to that. Both parties should subsequently comply with that. Fishermen should make appropriate arrangements for ready access to ice e.g. a chest freezer, if a reliable commercial supply is not available 24/7.