Our Expertise

In 1989 MEP received the Queen's Award for Export and in 1994 the Department of Trade and Industry Export Award for Smaller Businesses. The Company specialises in the identification and management of fisheries projects worldwide, and in the formulation and implementation of fisheries development policies. Areas of expertise include the following:

Fisheries economics
Oil spill and other pollution incidents
Cargo spoilage claims and investigations
Ship collision and grounding impacts on fisheries and acquaculture
Fisheries Liaison Services
Operation and management of fishing vessels and harbours
Development of fishing methods & fishing gear
Fishing vessel design
Harvest and catch handling methods
Marketing, value-added product development& processing methods
Technical and financial advice to commercial fishing operations
Procurement and tender evaluation
Fisheries joint venture negotiations
Expert services to marine insurance companies
Inland and marine aquaculture
Law of the Sea and fisheries legislation
Management of Exclusive Economic Zones
Monitoring, control and surveillance
Sustainable fisheries, MSC and chain of custody

MEP is now the largest independent consultancy in Europe specialising in the management of the aquatic environment and has a specialist Environmental Projects Department - coastal zone management, fisheries and aquaculture projects have been implemented world wide.

Services in the Marine Insurance Sector

Ship owners and Marine Insurers are frequently faced with incidents involving fisheries and aquaculture, high value seafood production and trading. The MEP team can help by providing rapid response and specialized personnel at the scene of incidents. The company’s staff encompasses a wide range of experience and specialisations in fisheries and aquaculture so that the company can provide an appropriate mix of subject and geographical expertise on fisheries impacts in all situations.

In recent years MEP have undertaken numerous assignments on behalf of P & I Clubs, marine lawyers, the International Tanker Owners’ Pollution Federation and the International Oil pollution Compensation Fund. MEP experts in the spoilage of fish and fishery product cargos are ready to attend at short notice and speedy analysis of issues can often lead to resolution or mitigation of issues.

Fisheries Liaison Services

The offshore renewable energy sector is growing rapidly. The number of projects either underway or applying for consent has increased significantly in the last four years. These developments inevitably interact with other users of the sea, often including commercial fisheries.

The fishing industry often perceives such developments negatively, as the construction of offshore renewable projects generally requires the exclusion of fishing activity from areas of seabed that are actively fished. Where this is the case, it is reasonable to assume fishing businesses with a reliance on the grounds in question would suffer a temporary or permanent loss of earnings.

To facilitate mutual understanding and to ease the process of consultation, the use of mediators experienced in the fishing industry is recommended to ensure the issues surrounding offshore developments are objectively analysed and accurately presented to the developer, government bodies and the fishing industry. A proactive approach to consultation with the fishing industry is also advised by both the BWEA and DTI.

MacAlister Elliott & Partners has extensive experience providing mediation, advisory and analytical services in the fisheries sector, to ensure developers are both well represented and informed. Our specialists are experienced at providing fisheries liaison services in keeping with the best practise guidelines released by BWEA, and can offer:

Fisheries Liaison Officer services
Environmental and Fisheries Impact Assessments
Commercial fisheries financial impact analysis
Mediation and mitigation advisory services
Compensation framework development services
Expert witness services