A fisherman checking his vessel fishing net. (Photo: National Federation of Fishermen Organisations, NFFO)

UK hopes to regain its fishing ground control after Brexit

UNITED KINGDOM
Thursday, July 05, 2018, 02:50 (GMT + 9)

The United Kingdom expressed its wish to decide how much access to its fishing grounds it will offer to the European Union (EU) member states once it abandons the bloc after it leaves the European Union, according to a policy document the Government has just published.

On presenting the white paper, called Sustainable Fisheries for Future Generations, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the British fishing trade had been on the receiving end of a "poor deal" with the EU - something it hopes to change with the release of its fresh vision for the future.

In particular, the document sets how, as an independent coastal State, the UK will have the opportunity to progress towards a fairer participation in the fishing opportunities, reviewing the current system in which UK's fishermen have received a poor treatment based on 1970's fishing patterns. The EU Member States currently land eight times more fish in UK's waters than the UK in EU Member States' waters.

It also proposes a set of measures to improve the fishing industry sustainability, supporting the next generation of fishermen while protecting the marine environment.

The document, which was published after a seven month delay, will be now subjected to a 10 week consultation period and a Fisheries Bill, which will be put before MPs to vote on before next summer.

Food and environment minister Michael Gove stressed that the access to UK waters will be on their own terms, under their control and for the benefit of UK fishermen, Reuters reported.

“This is consistent with the approach to fisheries taken by other coastal states including Norway,” he added.

Government sources pointed out their intention to separate the issue of access to its waters from that of how much British fish is exported to the EU in its Brexit discussions with Brussels.

Meanwhile, parliamentarians in the North East of Scotland insist the current EU fishing quota system has gradually decimated their industry over decades.

The announcement represents a welcome relief to the industry and to Brexit voters who feared in March, when it was announced that Britain would remain in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) until the end of the transition period in 2020, that fishing rights might be traded away by the Government during its EU trade negotiations.

But the plan, backed by Minister Gove and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), promises to rid the UK of the CFP and take “full control of its waters”.

For her part, Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain will leave the EU CFP but under a so-called transition agreement, quotas will remain in place during the two years after the UK leaves the bloc next March.

The Scottish Fisheries Federation says 60 per cent of what would be Scottish fish is caught by other EU fishing nations, and has long argued that decades of EU membership has weakened the industry severely.

Fishermen have also expressed fears that access to fishing grounds could be used a bargaining chip for other trading advantages for Britain as it leaves the EU.

On the other hand, Brussels argues that if UK fish products are to be sold in the rest of Europe, EU vessels must be allowed to fish in British waters.

Any changes will not come into play until the transition period is over. While that is currently scheduled to end on December 31, 2020, there are reports of it being lengthened as the Brexit talks continue to stall.

Related article:

- If opportunities are seized, Brexit to favour seafood sector, Scottish leader states

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