British fishing industry sacrificed in deal, say fishermen

Fishermen sort and load trays of salmon heads to be used as bait for crab and lobster pots in Bridlington, north-east England on Dec 11, 2020. PHOTO: AFP

LONDON • British fishermen say Prime Minister Boris Johnson sold out fish stocks to the European Union with a Brexit trade deal that gives EU boats significant access to Britain's rich fishing waters.

Some British politicians also said on Saturday that the deal added up to a sell-out.

Britain will leave the EU's Common Fisheries Policy on Thursday, but under the trade deal agreed on Christmas Eve, the current rules will remain largely in place during a 51/2 year transition period.

After that period, there will be annual consultations to establish the level of and conditions for EU access to British waters.

The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations said the fishing industry had been sacrificed by Mr Johnson.

For example, it said, Britain's share of Celtic Sea haddock will increase to 20 per cent from 10 per cent, leaving 80 per cent in the hands of EU fleets for a further five years.

"In the endgame, the Prime Minister made the call and caved in on fish, despite the rhetoric and assurances," the group said.

"There will, of course, be an extensive public relations exercise to portray the deal as a fabulous victory, but it will inevitably be seen by the fishing industry as a defeat."

The British government said the trade deal reflected Britain's new position as a sovereign independent coastal state and provided for a significant uplift in quota for British fishers, equal to 25 per cent of the value of the EU catch in United Kingdom waters.

"This is worth £146 million (S$262 million) for the UK fleet, phased in over five years," the British government said.

"It ends the dependence of the UK fleet on the unfair 'relative stability' mechanism enshrined in the EU's Common Fisheries Policy, and increases the share of the total catch taken in UK waters taken by UK vessels to circa two-thirds."

But Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party, said Mr Johnson had "sold out Scottish fishing all over again".

"Promises they knew couldn't be delivered, duly broken," Ms Sturgeon said.

Fishing contributed just 0.03 per cent of British economic output last year, but many Brexit supporters see it as a symbol of the regained sovereignty they say leaving the EU brings.

Combined with fish and shellfish processing, the sector makes up 0.1 per cent of Britain's gross domestic product.

REUTERS

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 28, 2020, with the headline British fishing industry sacrificed in deal, say fishermen. Subscribe