Fathom: getting below the surface of the UK fishing industry.

Chris Ranford
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There is so much more to fishing than just catching fish. Through real conversations with real fishermen, fishing experts and the people who write the rules, we'll help you navigate complex fishing regulations, be more safety-aware, keep up to date on market trends and much more. We'll also be scouring the UK coast for amazing stories from fishing families - connecting you to harbours, boats, and people, around the country. Fathom is brought to you by the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation and funded by The Seafarers' Charity. 

  1. JUN 26

    The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

    It’s been a while, but we are back with a brand new episode! Chris Ranford catches up with Mike Cohen, NFFO CEO, after a year off from the fathom mic - they talk the good, the bad, and the ugly of the past 12 months.

    24 min
  2. General Election 2024 – A five-point plan for fishing (Part V: National Fishing Strategy)

    07/03/2024

    General Election 2024 – A five-point plan for fishing (Part V: National Fishing Strategy)

    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 mini-series finale, Chris and Mike pull the pieces of the puzzle together, consolidating the topics covered in episodes one to four with a call for a national fishing strategy. Could a nationwide strategy transform the piecemeal approach we’ve seen to date, to provide a joined-up, logical approach to planning that ensures the long-term growth and prosperity of the industry?  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.

    3 min
  3. General Election 2024 – A five-point plan for fishing (Part IV: Safety & Wellbeing)

    07/02/2024

    General Election 2024 – A five-point plan for fishing (Part IV: Safety & Wellbeing)

    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. Most seafarers are aware of the risks to their safety involved in their professions. How these risks are managed is an important area for the next UK government to consider. Top down approaches have left fishermen with the impression that measures being introduced to safeguard them are instead proving to be obstacles preventing them from doing what they do best: catching fish.  After the attempted, controversial introduction of a new medical certificate requirement by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) recently, more than ever, fishermen are looking for government departments to work together and listen to the industry. In this episode, Chris and Mike discuss the need for a fundamental reform of how health, safety and welfare regulations are developed and managed in the fishing industry.  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.

    4 min
  4. General Election 2024 – A five-point plan for fishing (Part III: Marine Planning)

    07/01/2024

    General Election 2024 – A five-point plan for fishing (Part III: Marine Planning)

    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 our third instalment, Fathom considers the importance of the next government pursuing fair, representative marine spatial planning policies to guarantee a viable future for the UK fishing industry and its ability to continue to produce seafood. In recent years the use of space in the sea by fishing fleets has become contested with the introduction and expansion of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), offshore wind infrastructure and underwater cables. The NFFO and SFF published a report titled ‘Spatial Squeeze’ in 2022, which highlighted the cumulative effect MPA’s, cables and offshore renewables are having on the fishing fleet's ability to harvest food from the sea.  There’s a concern that fishermen’s voices are being ignored as increased jostling for space around our coasts ensues. Indeed, this is not just a practical issue of fishermen having access to the sea to carry out their livelihood. It also speaks to an increasing sense that fishing as an economic activity is becoming deprioritised. In this episode, Chris and Mike discuss the importance of making fishing a statutory consultee to ensure it is engaged at the earliest stage of marine planning.  Find the CFPO’s election manifesto here The fourth series of the Fathom podcast has been produced by the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation (CFPO) with funding from The Seafarers' Charity.

    7 min
  5. General Election 2024 – A five-point plan for fishing (Part II: Fisheries Management)

    06/28/2024

    General Election 2024 – A five-point plan for fishing (Part II: Fisheries Management)

    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.

    6 min
  6. General Election 2024 – A five-point plan for fishing (Part I: Food Security)

    06/27/2024

    General Election 2024 – A five-point plan for fishing (Part I: Food Security)

    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. The first episode tackles the topic of fishing as a part of food security. Much has been made during the course of the General Election 2024 campaign about the value of energy security through domestic production in reducing reliance on imported energy – critical in the context of unstable global markets. Similarly – though not as well emphasised – in recent years we’ve seen the impact of global supply chain disruptions and soaring food prices trigger the need for a strategy to keep the population fed with inexpensive, nutritious, sustainable food. This episode poses the question; do our politicians recognise the role fishing plays in bolstering our food security?   Find the CFPO’s election manifesto here. The fourth series of the Fathom podcast has been produced by the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation (CFPO) with funding from The Seafarers' Charity.

    7 min

  7. 06/19/2024

    Catching up with the Young Fishermen Network

    For episode 5, Fathom headed to the launch event organised by the first-ever Young Fishermen Network, here in the UK. We speak to young fishermen Will Jaycock, a 20-year-old 3rd generation fisherman from Looe whose heart is set on a sustainable future for fishing, and 28-year-old Tom Lambourn from Newlyn who only decided to pursue fishing full-time after graduating from university. Also featured are the CFPO’s Chris Ranford, and Matilda Phillips in her new role as Network Coordinator. This episode broadcasts some of the unconventional and refreshing ways in which the Young Fishermen Network are bringing young fishermen together, to talk fishing gear, life at sea and the future of fishing. The view is simple, young fishermen need to feel like they are a part of something, in a profession with a viable future. In this episode, Tom and Will talk about how welcoming it has been to meet up with other young people who fish, and offer their vision for how a young people's network can develop the relationship between older generations and mentors, and strengthen the relationship between fishing communities and ports across the UK. CFPO Chief Executive Chris Ranford, and co-ordinator of the Young Fishermen Network Matilda Phillips, tackle the issue of retaining young fishermen already in the industry while ensuring new generations of fishermen are coming through. They reveal the practical nature of bringing people into commercial fishing with more meetups, career events at schools, and active social media platforms offering behind-the-scenes information for young people.  Listen and learn how the network is developing future leaders of the industry, and hear from young fishermen themselves on being closer to the decision-making processes determining their future on the seas.  The fourth series of the Fathom podcast has been produced by the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation (CFPO) with funding from The Seafarers' Charity.

    14 min

  8. 03/14/2024

    The True Value of Seafood to Cornwall

    Fathom’s back with its first episode of 2024. A new jingle isn’t the only thing we’ve refreshed on the podcast as Charlotte Scotland from the CFPO takes her maiden voyage in the host’s chair. In this episode, Charlotte is joined by CFPO CEO Chris Ranford, economist Jim Plunkket-Cole, and Edd Hind-Ozin from Defra. They unpack the key findings of the CFPO-commissioned  ‘Value of Seafood to Cornwall,’ report and discuss ways it will benefit the fishing industry.  But let’s take a step back and first ask: where did the report in question come from? A strategic review by the CFPO in 2021 identified four pillars of focus to support the Cornish fishing fleet in the post-Brexit and post-COVID landscape. A series of small-scale pilot projects that aligned with these priorities ensued. Soon after, it became apparent that evidence proving the economic importance of Cornwall’s seafood sector was needed to fulfil the vision set out in the strategy and attract longer-term investment. This is where the report comes in! In the episode economist Jim Plunkket-Cole, who co-authored the report with the former chief economist for Seafish, Hazel Curtis, reveals some of the startling statistics that illustrate how uniquely critical Cornwall’s fishing industry is to the economy and Cornish communities. Meanwhile, Edd Hind-Ozan, Defra's Head of Fisheries Social Science and a member of the report's advisory group, offers his view on how this research should be deployed to shape future policies and address the challenges confronting the Cornish fishing fleet. The fourth series of the Fathom podcast has been produced by the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation (CFPO) with funding from The Seafarers' Charity. LINKS: Read the full report The True Value to Seafood in Cornwall Infographic

    23 min
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There is so much more to fishing than just catching fish. Through real conversations with real fishermen, fishing experts and the people who write the rules, we'll help you navigate complex fishing regulations, be more safety-aware, keep up to date on market trends and much more. We'll also be scouring the UK coast for amazing stories from fishing families - connecting you to harbours, boats, and people, around the country. Fathom is brought to you by the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation and funded by The Seafarers' Charity. 

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