If Britain blocks foreign competition, will the excluded nations still be happy to buy our fish?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\nNow there is excited talk of a return to the good old days of a 200 nautical mile limit, kicking out EU boats and a bonanza of landings to make what\u2019s left of the fleet rich again. After all, if there is a hard Brexit, which seems quite possible, there would be nothing to stop Britain \u201ctaking back control\u201d of an industry to allow skippers to sail back to happiness.<\/p>\n
In the view of Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen\u2019s Federation, Brexit is \u201cfantastic news\u201d for the British industry that could again be a world leader in sustainable seafood.<\/p>\n
But it might not be that simple. Strong words of warning came last week from Struan Stevenson, the former Conservative MEP who presided over the European Parliament\u2019s influential fisheries committee. Stevenson was always seen as being on the side of the fishermen and not the Eurocrats and he is listened to with respect.<\/p>\n
He did not dispute the decline of the Scottish fleet or the loss of half the fisheries workforce since the 1970s when Brussels imposed new rules. But he talked of the \u201cunpalatable truth\u201d whereby the Scots were scooping 300,000 tonnes of cod a year at that time and could \u201cindulge in this Olympic fishery with impunity\u201d. Landings on this scale, he argued, were wholly unsustainable.<\/p>\n
In less diplomatic language this was blatant greed. The fleet was killing off the industry on which it depended and it was the EU that saved the fishermen from themselves.<\/p>\n
This is not a popular view, especially in north-east Scotland where the Scottish National Party (SNP) has spent a generation supporting fisherfolk and, in return, has gained much electorally. Last week, there were reports that in Banff and Buchan, with its long history of fishing, the people opted for Brexit which, if true, could make life uncomfortable for the Nationalists. Supporting the fishing fleet is almost a rule for every major political party in Scotland \u2013 the same parties opposed to Brexit.<\/p>\n
Stevenson\u2019s argument, supported by hard evidence of recovering stocks and improved sustainability, is that the EU deserves some credit for saving stocks. While some regulations and restrictions were clumsy and overly bureaucratic, the big picture showed Brussels had been a force for good and, as things stand, the future is bright for the industry.\u00a0 This is an argument most fishermen simply don\u2019t want to hear.<\/p>\n
And what if they now get their way and win back open access to the seas with much reduced competition?<\/p>\n
Well, much more than half of the total catch in UK waters goes currently into foreign boats. Stevenson has warned: \u201cOur fishermen are rubbing their hands together in gleeful expectation of chasing away all the foreigners and landing all of this catch ourselves. But we have to find a market for these fish\u201d.<\/p>\n
If Britain blocks foreign competition, will the excluded nations still be happy to buy our fish?\u00a0 Stevenson considers they might instead impose stringent tariffs to protect their own fleets. \u201cThe prevailing sense of euphoria in the industry needs a reality check \u2013 the CFP certainly had its flaws but without it there may have been no fishing industry left today,\u201d he insists.<\/p>\n
As with so much of Brexit, the future for British fisheries is far from clear.<\/p>\n
\u25cf\u25cf\u25cf JUST PUBLISHED, November 30 \u25cf<\/strong>\u25cf\u25cf
\n<\/span><\/p>\nA parliamentary briefing paper UK Sea Fisheries Statistics<\/em><\/a> examines trends in the UK sea fishing industry, including landings, employment, fleet size, trade, and comparisons with other EU countries.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
A parliamentary briefing paper UK Sea Fisheries Statistics<\/em><\/a> examines trends in the UK sea fishing industry, including landings, employment, fleet size, trade, and comparisons with other EU countries.<\/span><\/p>\n
![\"ritchie-vb1\"](\"http:\/\/chief-exec.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Ritchie-VB1-300x151.jpg\")
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