Will fishemen have to pay levies on their Fish?

Could it be that our new fish policy has already been created?

On August 14-06 Minister Loyola Hearn and Premier Danny Williams issued a News Release on the "progress of committee work on fisheries issues".
This following the great summit of the fish May 24-06.

This story looks at two issues - another jurisdiction and solutions and the slogan which was released by Hearn and Williams in the August release.

Since 1981 Seafish has operated to assist industry development in the United Kingdom. They describe themselves this way:

The Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish) works across all sectors of the UK seafood industry to promote good quality, sustainable seafood. Our research and projects are aimed at raising standards, improving efficiency and ensuring that our industry develops in a viable way.

We are the UK’s only cross-industry seafood body working with fishermen, processors, wholesalers, seafood farmers, fish friers, caterers, retailers and the import/export trade.

A Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB), we are sponsored by the four UK government fisheries departments and funded by a levy on seafood. We were established in 1981.

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They are funded this way:

Who pays the levy?

Seafish levy is due on all first-hand purchases of sea fish, shellfish, and sea fish products including fishmeal, landed in the United Kingdom. A firsthand purchase takes place when product is purchased from:

• A fisherman or boat owner - however when such a purchase is made through or via a fish salesman/auctioneer payment of levy due to Seafish is made by them but is recoverable from the purchaser. It will normally be charged by the fish salesman/auctioneer as a separate item on their customer's sales invoices
• A foreign supplier - including direct imports, purchases made from UK cold stores, goods delivered duty paid, purchases from EU countries including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
• Fish and shellfish farmers, growers and cultivators.

Levy is also due from any UK registered fishing vessel owner, and fish and shellfish farmer, grower, and cultivator who lands product in the United Kingdom for subsequent sale direct to a foreign customer or who trans-ships product within British Fishery limits.

Please note levy is not charged on salmon and migratory trout. Levy is also not charged on canned or bottled fish or sea fish products packed in an hermetically sealed container which is processed to inhibit microbial growth at ambient temperature.

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To carry on to the interesting bit of news on creativity. In the News Release jointly issued by the Premier and Minister they used a new slogan "ocean to plate" - which apparently represents and puts a name on their integrated strategy.

What is most interesting is that Seafish, on the go since 1981 has a slogan themselves. The use a "sea to plate" approach. Well done people - now all we need to do to figure out what the "committees" are going to come up with is read the Seafish site. Let's watch and see how much of that strategy they adopt and how identical it may be. Are we paying people for this?

Anyway it's a great way to guess what our group is up to. I guess I'll check Iceland and Norway too and see if any of the Newfoundland and Labarador genius has already been created there.

I encourage everybody interested in the seafood industry to review the Seafish Site