Wednesday 10 October 2018

May is clearly going to sell out our fishermen just like Heath did

In today's PMQs Alastair Carmichael asked head girl to guarantee that after we leave the EU UK fishermen would get all their national fishing grounds back. Her answer, we will negotiate a larger quota for our fishermen so there will be a sell out and won't get anything like all the fish from our territorial waters. We should not settle for less than 100% share.




7 comments:

Edward Spalton said...

Our friends in Fishing for Leave ( FfL) point out that the " implementation" period will submit the fishing fleet to the revised Common Fisheries Policy. Whilst this eliminates the grotesque practice of throwing over- quota fish back into the sea dead, it introduced a new feature - the "choke" species. If a fishing boat catches more than its quota of one particular species, it has to return to port. In our mixed fishery it cannot risk another voyage or trawl because it might catch the same species again.

So we could easily see a large part of our fleet tied up . Now comes the clever bit from the EU viewpoint.
Where a country cannot fully exploit the resources of its EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone ) ( 200 miles from its shoreline or the mid point with countries less than 400 miles away) the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS) provides that the unused resources must be shared out amongst neighbouring costal states. Rather a neat way of finishing off our fishing fleet for good, don't you think?
So far, HMG appears to be intensely relaxed about this.

FfL have worked out an alternative system of fisheries management, based on that used in the Faeroe Islands - rationing effort ( that is days at sea). In comparison with the quota system, it is far preferable and removed the incentive to chest. But HMG would need to use the " Henry VIII" powers in the EU Withdrawal Act to introduce it from 29 March 2019 . So far there is no sign of any inclination or urgency to do so.

Iceland and Norway operate systems where only native citizens can own and operate fishing vessels and they preserve their EEZs for their own use. HMG wanted greater freedom to protect British interests by being outside the EEA - yet it appears that British fishermen will have far less protection than the EEA states.

Niall Warry said...

Edward, you show an awareness of the FACTS not shared by our ignorant PM, government and politicians.


Eric, please name me a politician who really understands how the EU and SM works, which remember we helped to create over the last 45 years?

Eric Edmond said...

Nigel Lawson

L fairfax said...

If Heath had not sold out our Fishermen it is possible that we would never have voted for Brexit.
A real sign of how EU ideals* can be damaged by national greed and pro EU politicians saying yes to everything from Brussels.
*Whether you agree with them or not, it is sad.

Niall Warry said...

Eric, very surprised at your choice of Lawson. He may once have been a big beast but I would have thought you would have a fan of the ERM he supported?

Stephen Harness said...

It does highlight that we are far too honest to be a member of the EU. Other member countries have a far more relaxed approach to policing fishing policy. We play by the rules and get stuffed as a result. Sadly my home town, Grimsby, is now a fish processing town and the glory days of a proud fishing fleet and associated engineering capacity have gone. My late father-in-law was adept at carrying a drilling machine up a ships mast when his job required. I wonder what HSE would make of that today. I think the ship would not be ready for the next tide. The skills have gone along with the fleet. Fanciful but it would take decades to replace the fleet and skills and tradition that the EU have taken from us.

Eric Edmond said...

Read the question you asked me.