WAG makes plans for Welsh fishing industry to 2020

THE Welsh Assembly Government has published its plans for delivering the Wales Fisheries Strategy over the next decade.

The plan has been developed by the Wales Fisheries Strategy Steering Group and builds on the Wales Fisheries Strategy, the Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy for the management and development of fisheries in Wales up to 2020. This was launched in July 2008.

The new implementation plan:

• identifies key priorities;
• provides all fisheries stakeholders with practical guidance that will help them to achieve the goals of the Wales Fisheries Strategy;
• sets out a number of actions that stakeholders can take to achieve these goals, and;
• identifies a number of common issues that would benefit from a co-operative approach.

Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said:

"The Implementation Plan is a vital tool for helping us to achieve the vision and ambitions set out in the Wales Fisheries Strategy. It has been designed so that the key issues and associated actions are clearly prioritised in order that we can make the very best use of the resources available to us."

"Importantly the plan is a working document. This means it will be reviewed regularly so that we can revise priorities and deadlines as appropriate in order to ensure that the plan remains as relevant, useful and up to date as possible."

Fundamental priorities of the plan include:

• sustainable fisheries management based on long term objectives, and a sound and scientifically derived knowledge;
• improved communication within and between sectors, and;
• the development of better representative structures for sectors.

Another key priority is securing adequate resources to carry out this work. For these reasons, the implementation plan will help assess the priority of projects taken forward under the European Fisheries Fund.