First hints at Brexit impact on fishing - not necessarily greater catches
In the first significant signal about how UK fisheries will be managed post-Brexit, the European commission has said that UK boats will need to stick to catch quotas set by the EU whilst we are still a member. Following Britain’s exit – nothing can be guaranteed.
It is thought likely that fisheries management will be addressed as part of the wider negotiations on the UK withdrawal from the EU, a European commission spokesperson told the Guardian [1].
Ruth Westcott from Sustainable Fish Cities considers the options for UK fisheries; “There is absolutely no certainty that UK boats will be able to catch more fish once Britain has withdrawn from the EU. One option for increasing UK catches is that the UK could voluntarily stick to the EU quota system but, as part of the negotiation process, achieve an increased share. It feels unlikely that the EU will agree to this without the UK paying for the privilege (Norwegians, for example, pay taxes of between 2% and 13% to export fish products to the EU [2]). Alternatively, the UK could choose to exceed the quotas recommended by the EU in an effort to boost the industry in the short term. This option could spell disaster for Europe’s already depleted and pressured fish stocks and for the UK fishing fleet in the medium or long term, not to mention the political consequences of putting shared stocks at risk.”
She continued “The leave campaign used every trick in the book – even a flotilla of fishing boats – to convince voters that Britain's fleet would be better off out of the EU [2]. They gave worryingly scant consideration of how this would work, politically or scientifically. Britain’s geographical situation means that many of our most important and valuable stocks (like cod and haddock), are shared with other states. The only sensible solution is to agree how we share catches internationally, as the EU Common Fisheries Policy set out to do.”
[2] Information about how Norway’s relationship with the EU works is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35354288
[2] Michael Gove in one of his speeches about fishing: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2016/apr/19/eu-referendum-michael-goves-today-interview-politics-live?page=with:block-57163a0be4b04ac71f1a138b#block-57163a0be4b04ac71f1a138b
Boris Johnson on BBC’s Countryfile: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36453416
And visiting fishing communities in the Brexit battle bus: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/politics/1292317/boris-johnson-accidentally-gets-chummy-with-ex-edl-man-as-he-visits-fish-factory-on-brexit-battle-bus/
Nigel Farage and the Ukip flotilla: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/15/nigel-farage-bob-geldof-rival-eu-referendum-thames-flotillas
Published Tuesday 5 July 2016
Sustainable Fish: A campaign to protect precious marine environments and fishing livelihoods, and call for fish to be bought from sustainable sources. We want to show what can be done if people and organisations make a concerted effort to change their buying habits.
