A glance at the bathymetric map will reveal our advantage. French and Spanish EEZs also extend to 200 miles - but mostly over deep waters. Ours are almost wholly over the rich, fecund, warm continental shelf on which sea life thrives - if not overfished. Britain's fish resources are the richest in Europe, and currently belong to the EU.
This is also a key reason to form a close and mutually beneficial alliance with Norway; also outside the EU; between us we own 70% of Europe's fish. Denmark, NL, Belgium, Germany and France all have inconsequential fishing waters.
Make no mistake, we will have our waters back, no exceptions, no qualifications. And we alone will decide who may fish those waters and how much may be taken. A robust conservation policy coupled with determined and aggressive enforcement will restore these seas to a marine resource teeming with life. One thing is clear - Europe will pay far more dearly for its fish in the future than now.
8 comments:
We can only hope, the omens are not good I fear.
right-writes
There was a petition to "Ensure the British fishing waters are returned to the UK post Brexit" it had 56983 signatures.
However the petition was closed because of the election and WILL NOT be re-opened when parliament resumes.
A new petition will have to be started after the election.
They gave away our fisheries in the rush to join the Common Market. What hope is there for any backbone on getting them back from the FEU?
There are too many generations between the heyday of the British fishing industry and the rump left in present times for the public to care too much about this issue.
We must do all we can to make the present generation aware of the riches we would loose if once again our fish stocks/industry is sacrificed on the altar of politics.
And you will be long dead before the fish stocks return to a density for economic fishing, I base my comment on the cod fishery (that was destroyed by the EU) off the Newfoundland banks.
Even assuming a best case scenario, who will protect against poachers?
The return of our waters and our fishing industry is key to the revival of many of our depressed coastal towns. All along our coastline are towns and villages which had their livelihood torn away from them when we joined the Common Market.
Sadly, I think this will prove to be one issue where May and Davis will be prepared to "compromise" unless we make it absolutely clear that this is a red line for the British people.
Perhaps May should order half a dozen River Class fisheries protection vessels now as a statement of intent.....
Hell Yeah!
Cascadian: "I base my comment on the cod fishery (that was destroyed by the EU) off the Newfoundland banks .."
Nor should we forget the significant impact ( for the worse ) the EU fishing policy has had in African waters, where they seem to have bought off every corrupt megalomaniac ( ten a penny in Africa after all ) who has then sold out the subsistence traditional fishermen, who as a result have to leave Africa to sell tat in Europe.
Anonymous-
Nor should we forget the significant impact ( for the worse ) the EU fishing policy has had in African waters...
I have long blamed EU fishing policy for the explosion in Somali piracy.
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