North Devon fishing survey

Tony Gussin Wednesday, March 20, 2013
1:29 PM

New survey looks at how industry influences lives.

PEOPLE who live or work in North Devon’s fishing communities are being invited to take part in a major new survey looking at how the industry influences peoples’ views of the area.

Sensing Fishing Places is being carried out by the University of Greenwich, working with the North Devon Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) to create a snapshot of fishing places at the start of the 21st century.

It is running on both sides of the English Channel and the southern North Sea, to find out how marine fishing contributes to a ‘sense of place’.

Organisers say with fishing in decline in many areas, and inshore fleets struggling to cope with reductions in quota allocation, it is important to understand the social and cultural value of fishing for coastal communities.

The results are intended to help provide better information for fisheries policy and management and will be made publicly available to local communities and decision makers.

The survey runs until April 19 and anyone who lives or work in a fishing town or village is invited to complete it online at www.survey.bris.ac.uk/greenwich/sensingfishing. Or for a paper copy, contact Dr Julie Urquhart at GIFS@greenwich.ac.uk or call 0208 331 8227/9751.