Tag Archives: Brexit
Brexit vanguard abandoned by Theresa May: UK fishermen cut adrift by political elite
During the 2016 EU referendum, fishing quotas briefly became a major talking point in UK politics. Prominent Leave campaigners used the restrictive quotas to demonstrate the affect the EU had on British business, with then Ukip leader Nigel Farage even joining a flotilla of fishermen in a protest on the Thames. Fishermen across the country became a politically mobilised group during the referendum campaign, with groups like Fishing for Leave gaining significant coverage. However, one year on from the vote, interest in the issue seems to have cooled. “I do wonder whether anything will actually change, I really do” said Hastings fishermen Mark Woodley. “And a lot of the other fisherman are the same. We was hoping for great things, but she hasn’t actually mentioned anything about fishing, Theresa May, has she?” click here to read the story 11:18
Fishermen want the hardest Brexit deal they can get
Graham Doswell is in optimistic form as he unloads netfulls of lobster, crab, sprat, white bait and a solitary plaice after a hard days fishing off the coast of Eastbourne. Like the vast majority of fishermen, he voted for Brexit and believes his industry will be much better off outside the EU. “Brexit is a breath of fresh air. A lot of fishermen are hanging on by the skin of their teeth or have given up altogether because the EU has made it so they can’t make ends meet,” Doswell told i, standing by his boat, the Halcyon, in Fishermen’s Quay two miles north of the Eastbourne Pier. “The EU has knocked the stuffing out of the fishing industry by giving us only a tiny bit of the fish in our waters but it now has a fantastic opportunity to pull itself back from the brink. If we make a good job of it now, there is so much hope,” said Doswell, a third-generation fisherman. click here to read the story 10:30
Medieval Histories – Medieval Cod Wars 1415 – 2017
In the 15th-century long-distance fishing appeared as one of the first global industries. Then – as now – huge political and economic interests were at stake; often leading to war. Medieval fishing in the North Sea has for a long time been an important topic for a group of historians, archaeologists and scientists led by J. H. Barrett, Reader in Medieval Archaeology at the University of Cambridge. Being an archaeologist, this has resulted in significant accumulation of valuable knowledge as to how and when the fishing trade in Northern Europe exploded; and how it successively played out. (this is an interesting read, Fast forward) And so it went for centuries with more than ten officially registered “cod wars”. According to the received history, the last two of these began immediately after WW2, when Iceland gained its independence from Denmark.,, Cod Wars Post Brexit,,, click here to read the story 19:19
Brexit ‘provides golden opportunity to regain control of fisheries policy’
Brexit provides a “golden opportunity” to revitalise the UK’s fisheries industry, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has said. The free market think tank claimed the sector has been in decline for decades, due in part to the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy. An IEA study urges the Government to remove indirect subsidies, such as grants for harbour improvements and transport links, because it says infrastructure is better operated on a commercial basis. The report calls for subsidies for the industry to be phased out and replaced with market mechanisms to protect fisheries. click here to continue reading the story 15:35
Will Brexit bring boost to King’s Lynn, Yarmouth and Lowestoft – or will fishing industry be sold down the river?
While the sun shone down on the shrimp boats, there were big clouds on the horizon for King’s Lynn’s fishing fleet and what few vessels still manage to steer their way through the murky waters of EU fisheries policy. As fishermen met politicians to discuss lobbying for a better deal post Brexit, some Lynn boats were fuelling up to sail down to the English Channel to fish, because they have no quota to catch from their home port. Others have already steamed through an estuary full of shellfish on their way to fish for scallops off Yorkshire, because they have no quota in The Wash. The same issues affect every fishing port around our coast, from Wells Quay and Sheringham, to Yarmouth and Lowestoft. continue reading the story here 10:31
Brexit Allows Us To Solve This Haddock Conservation Problem By Leaving The CFP
It would be terribly wrong to compare the European Union to any of the mid-20th century unpleasantnesses in Europe like fascism and the rise of the Nazis but it is true that that peaceful economic arrangement has managed something that total war did not, the rationing of fish and chips in Britain. For it is actually true that said fish and chips never was rationed. Even when the Kreigsmarine was trying to sink everything larger than a canoe which issued from Britain’s ports we still had that haddock, cod and plaice. Give it 45 years of that ever closer European union and the bureaucratic management of the Common Fisheries Policy and we’re being told that we must indeed ration our consumption:,,, It’s all there in Garret Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons. Where there’s an open access, what Hardin calls Marxian, resource, then that is just fine. If the regeneration capacity is greater than the annual demand, then all who want can have simply by taking. (See where this is going?) continue reading the article here 14:50
New research at Aberdeen University has highlighted the potential size of the prize awaiting Scots fishers after Brexit
The study looked at 17 commercially key Scottish fish stocks, focusing not on how big they were, but on their distribution. Comparisons were made between the percentages of fish largely contained within the UK’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), out to 200 nautical miles, and quota allocations. For all but three of the species studied, current UK quotas are significantly below stock levels within the EEZ. And according to Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive , these results strengthen the case for the UK seizing control over its territorial waters after Brexit. “It’s not fair and it’s not right,” Mr Armstrong said at a recent meeting of the North East Scotland Fisheries Development Partnership in Aberdeen. He argued Scottish fishers were at a disadvantage under the current EU arrangements and added: “This is not a land grab or an act of aggression – these are our waters. continue reading the article here 11:00
Canada’s trade minister promises Brits cut-price lobster and maple syrup if free trade deal follows Brexit
Francois Philippe Champagne said he hoped the UK copied the free trade deal agreed between his country and the EU when it strikes out alone. And he revealed he had met Trade Secretary Liam Fox three times to discuss future relationships. He said a deal would mean “more and better choice for consumers”. He said: “A company in Wales is importing maple syrup from Canada and paying an 8 per cent import duty.” “That duty would go down to 0 per cent if there is a free trade deal. “If you’re in the UK and love Canadian lobster, you have an import duty of up to 25 percent today. “On day one that would go down to zero.” Link 09:06
Fishermen’s fury as Brussels DEMANDS access to 60% of British Waters after Brexit
Scotland’s fisherman have said they will not bow to pressure from the European Union (EU) to allow them to be held to ransom over Brexit. And they are calling for Theresa May to make an immediate impact assessment on current fish stocks in United Kingdom waters. The European Parliament Committee on Fisheries (PECH) is demanding access under its common fisheries policy for the right for fishermen from other countries to access up to 60 per cent of Britain’s fish supplies. And Brussels bosses say they will not allow Britain to sell fish to the EU should they not get their way. The concerning rhetoric has been blasted by fishermen in Scotland who are wholly opposed to the EU over the effect the bloc’s policies are having on their livelihoods. The industry is hitting back and today issued a direct demand to the UK and Scottish governments not to give away their income. continue reading the story here 13:46
Farage takes centre-stage in fishers’ Brexit policy launch
Nigel Farage will team up with former UK Government minister Owen Paterson for the launch of Fishing For Leave’s Brexit manifesto in London today. A spokesman for the organisation said it would make clear the “constitutional realities and extrication process” needed to make sure UK control over fishing is “automatically repatriated and not betrayed as negotiating capital a second time”. He added: “This policy advocates a radical new approach of a fit-for-purpose days-at-sea management regime suitable to the UK’s rich highly mixed fisheries. “It ends the cause of the abhorrent practice of mass discarding caused by EU quotas and provides a framework to rejuvenate coastal communities that have suffered so much.” continue reading the article here 13:23
Brexit Leak: UK Fishermen May Not Win Waters Back
A leaked memo from the 
European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries looks set to dash the hopes that British fishermen will “win our waters back” as part of Brexit negotiations. This document, as discovered by British newspaper the Guardian, suggests MEPs have drafted seven provisions to be included in Britain’s “exit agreement”, including a stipulation that there will be “no increase to the UK’s share of fishing opportunities for jointly fished stocks”, and instead the existing quota distribution in UK and EU waters will be maintained. The memo also states that “it is difficult to see any alternative to the continued application of the common fisheries policy”. Continue reading the story here 12:18
Ireland should follow Britain out of the EU
County Donegal skippers like Michael Callaghan have long learned to contend with rasping North Atlantic gales and 30-foot waves — but nothing prepared them for the political shock of Brexit, and the threat it would pose to their livelihoods. Trapped in port by an approaching storm, the 44-year-old trawlerman has time to lament what he sees as bleak prospects for the Irish fishing industry. His latest haul of Atlantic horse mackerel was caught to the north, in Scottish waters, and his survival depends on continued access to those lucrative British fishing grounds. As he unloads a silver stream of fish into a chute from his 51-meter trawler, the Pacelli, he explains he has little hope of Irish politicians coming to his rescue, as Brexit raises existential questions about where he can catch and sell his fish. “Fisheries isn’t of huge economic value to Ireland Inc., so there’s no appetite in Dublin to look after coastal communities, especially fishermen,” he says, as he offers a tour of the boat. “We’d have to leave the EU to wrangle any of our power back.” Continue reading the story here 13:49
Fight for fishermen – European Union bid to grab UK fish stocks under Brexit revealed
Leaked reports claimed this week that MEPs in the European Parliament are drafting provisions to be included in the final Brexit agreement – including legislation that Britain should not be allowed an “increase to the UK’s share of fishing opportunities for jointly fished stocks”. EU countries want fishing rules which apply to all member states to continue to apply to Britain’s waters after the divorce. As such, the fish in Britain’s territory would be seen as a ‘shared resource’. The suggestion Britain could be overruled by the EU – once the split becomes official – has angered British politicians. Outraged Mike Hookem said Britain’s waters must return to “UK control regardless of what the EU want”. Continue reading the story here 06:54
Fishermen fear a catch during negotiations over Brexit
Fishermen around the Kent coast are fearing for the survival of the industry after Brexit as they do not believe the government will deliver a clean break with the EU. The Thanet Fishermen’s Association and Whitstable Fishermen’s Association have thrown their weight behind a 90 page document by Fishing for Leave, an independent campaign aiming for withdrawal from existing EU fishing regulations in order to regain control over the country’s fishing waters and rejuvenate the industry. “When we went into the common market, we had the largest fish stocks and the largest fleet,” explains Mr West, who owns West Whelks on Whitstable harbour. “Now we have the smallest fish fleet and the smallest stocks left as our waters have been abused by other countries. “A lot of people that set the quotas are sitting in an office and haven’t got a clue about how our industry works. We’re told we are allowed to catch haddock, when we haven’t seen a haddock in almost 50 years. Read the story here 12:07
Fishing industry warns against “trading away” rights in Brexit negotiations
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation says there must be “no trading away” of UK fishing rights amid the Brexit process. It comes after yesterday’s white paper on leaving the EU was published. It shows in 2015, EU skippers caught over six times more fish in UK waters than British fishermen caught in Europe. The government paper also makes mention of a “mutually beneficial deal” for both parties post-Brexit. Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, said: “The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation welcomes the Prime Minister’s stated approach to the Brexit negotiations as one of anticipating success. Delivery of the White Paper vision of a world leading food industry is an ambition fully shared by the fishing sector. Read the story here 11:15
‘We DON’T need the single market’ Fishing boss DESTROYS Remain claims with one fact
Bertie Armstrong, the CEO of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, told MPs that the depreciation in the value of the pound since June 23 will massively offset any potential tariffs imposed on exporters after Brexit. Sterling has plummeted by around 20 per cent since voters opted to quit the EU, providing a timely boost to exporters by making British products more competitive. And Mr Armstrong said there was an obsession with remaining in the single market which is unjustified, especially given the huge opportunities the UK is well-placed to take up in other market places across the world. He pointed that even if the Government secures no trade deal with the rest of the EU fishermen will still end up far better off, because sterling has dropped by around 20 per cent. Read the story here 11:23
Fishermen’s federations adopt united stance on Brexit
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) and the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) agreed the key outcomes they want from negotiations to leave the EU at a recent meeting in Edinburgh. The organisations say fishermen across the UK have welcomed Brexit as an opportunity to secure significant economic benefit for coastal communities once the UK regains control of its 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). At the meeting it was agreed they would seek fairer shares of catching opportunity for UK vessels and full control over access to the UK EEZ by fishing fleets. They also want to see the creation of a “fit-for-purpose” management and regulation system, including a grass roots revision of fisheries management based on “sustainable harvesting and sound science.” The federations are calling for the establishment of mutually beneficial trading relationships with the EU and other countries. They also agreed that there must be no roll-over of the current Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and that negotiations regarding fisheries should not be entangled with non-fisheries issues. And they insist negotiations must benefit all sectors of the fishing industry, including inshore and offshore fleets, fish and shellfish. Read the rest here 09:52
Britain’s fishing industry voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU – now it feels ‘betrayed’ by May’s Brexit proposals
Britain’s £1-billion fishing industry, which voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU, says it feels “betrayed” by the current course of Brexit negotiations. A poll before the referendum suggested 92% of fishermen would vote to leave the EU, but many are now worried about Theresa May’s plan to roll over the EU’s much-maligned Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) into UK law. The CFP sets rules for how many fish each EU country’s boats can land. Several politicians have warned that dropping the policy will not benefit the industry, but most fishermen disagreed, believing that its restrictions are the cause of a rapidly declining UK fleet. But Prime Minister Theresa May intends to introduce a ‘Great Repeal Bill’ in the wake of Brexit, which will roll over all EU law into UK law – including the CFP. Alan Hastings, a spokesman for Brexit campaign group ‘Fishing For Leave,’ told Business Insider that the proposal risks “throwing the industry under a bus.” “It’s the equivalent of being told you’re leaving prison and then being told you’re actually staying. If we adopt the CFP, it will squander the opportunity that Brexit provides to rebuild the UK fishing industry,” he said. Read the story here 08:28
Britain’s High Court deals blow to UK Brexit hopes
Britain’s prime minister cannot trigger Brexit single-handedly, the country’s High Court has ruled, in a decision that embarrassed the government and gave new hope to ‘Remainers’. After a high-stakes argument over the balance of power between Parliament and the Crown, the court ruled unanimously that the ‘royal prerogative’ did not give the government power to start the legal process of taking Britain out of the European Union. Prime minister Theresa May had planned to trigger the ‘Article 50’ treaty exit clause by the end of March, but must now first seek the approval of parliament. This will open the door to Remainers who wish to dilute or even block Brexit. Read the story here 17:11
Fishing chiefs to meet Scottish Government over Brexit
Scottish fishing leaders will hold meetings with key Government representatives this week to promote the opportunities they believe Brexit can deliver for Scotland’s coastal communities. Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, will give evidence tomorrow to the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee in Glasgow to outline how he believes Brexit, if handled properly, could provide the framework for injecting fresh dynamism into Britain’s fishing communities. “But to achieve this, we need our politicians to be fully onside so that fishing is right at the heart of the Brexit process.“We will be telling UK and Scottish Government ministers that it would be unforgivable if fishing was traded away during the negotiations. Read the story here 14:28
Fishermen in the North look forward to leaving EU
In Portavogie on the Ards peninsula a new flag is flying proudly among the British union and Red Hand of Ulster flags fluttering from the lamp posts in this overwhelmingly unionist and loyalist fishing village in Co Down. It’s the “Fishing for Leave” ensign hoisted on the masts of many of the 40 or so trawlers that berth in this harbor. This is staunchly Brexit territory. Sitting on a bollard beside his trawler, the Golden Emblem, Harold Young says he doesn’t know of one fisherman who voted Remain in the referendum on whether or not the UK should stay in the European Union. Because of EU regulations and quotas he is mainly restricted to fishing for Dublin Bay prawns – more technically termed nephrops and also called the Norway lobster – and now believes there is a chance he will be able to catch whatever the sea offers up. Some years ago he was fined £20,000 (€22,000) for breaching a whitefish quota he had at the time, so the decision to get away from the bureaucracy of Brussels gladdens him. “Like the farmer, the fisherman should be able to land whatever is in season,” he says. Read the rest here 13:34
BOMBSHELL REPORT! More than half of the fish and shellfish landed from UK EEZ caught by European fishing boats.
Brexit has been welcomed as a “sea of opportunity” for Scottish fishers after a new report revealed foreign boats took out 58% of fish and shellfish from UK coastal waters – a catch worth up to £400million a year, it was claimed. The report found that EU boats caught around 650,000 tonnes of fish and shellfish in UK’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between 2012 and 2014. In contrast, UK fishing boats fishing in EU waters landed on average 90,000 tonnes of fish and shellfish – worth only about £100million. The report, produced by the NAFC Marine Centre UHI in Shetland, found that more than half – 51% – of the fish and shellfish landed from the Scottish part of the EEZ was caught by European fishing boats. The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) claimed that exit from the EU will “enable the UK to assert control over its 200-mile EEZ”, which means that foreign vessels could not then fish in the zone without express consent. The body added that the report was a “bombshell” and urged the UK and Scottish Government to work together “to ensure that the best possible deal is reached for our hardworking fishermen”. Read the rest here 19:41
The ‘great Brexit betrayal’! PM’s plan to adopt EU laws blasted by furious fishermen
Ahead of the Conservative Party conference last week, Theresa May set out her proposal for a Great Repeal Bill to end the supremacy of Brussels’ law over UK legislation on the day Britain leaves the EU. But, despite returning lawmaking sovereignty to Westminster, the Bill will also convert existing EU law into domestic law in a bid to ensure continuity. Fishing For Leave have voiced their anger at the Prime Minister’s approach to overturning Brussels’ rule, fearing it could mean British fishermen will still be subject to the “disastrous” EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) even outside the bloc. The group have declared the Great Repeal Bill should be of “dire concern” and will represent an “unacceptable sell out of Brexit”. Video, read the story here 11:46
What the UK’s fishing industry wants from Brexit
By the time dawn breaks behind the tall towers of Canary Wharf in London, home to dozens of banks and other financial institutions, Bill Thornton is already halfway through his day. A trader for 35 years, he is used to hard work and waking up in the early hours of the morning. But Thornton is not a banker. He doesn’t wear a suit or tie and there is not a briefcase in sight. His domain lies in the shadow of the big banks – in Billingsgate fish market. At James Nash & Son, the Billingsgate wholesale fish merchant where Thornton works, you have to be up early to see the array of fish on display: cod from Peterhead, skate from Aberdeen and lemon sole from Newlyn. Most have travelled from trawler to market within 24 hours. Many here are celebrating the Brexit vote. The fishing industry was a focal point of the EU referendum campaign. Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, has since said that the industry is a touchstone for Brexit. Leaving the EU means “getting our fishing waters back” – or we haven’t really left at all. Thornton, who voted for Brexit, has felt the impact of the EU’s common fisheries policy personally. “It decimated the fishing industry,” he says. “Our price of entry to the EU was giving up our fishing rights. Ted Heath sold us down the river.” Read the story here 07:55
Scottish fishermen fear they will lose out after voting for Brexit
James Stevens has spent 37 years fishing out of Peterhead. When he began, some 450 boats frequently filled the granite harbour on Scotland’s rugged northeast coast. Today only about 100 trawlers regularly leave Peterhead to ply their trade in the North Sea. Like almost everyone in Peterhead, Stevens blames the European Union – and particularly the unpopular common fisheries policy – for his industry’s decline. In June, the skipper of the Harvest Hope voted for Brexit “for my children and my grandchildren”. Stevens is “chuffed” that the UK will be leaving the EU, but his pleasure is tinged with a note of concern. He is worried that fishing could become a bargaining chip for both the UK and Scottish governments during the Brexit negotiations. “There is concern that we will be sold down the river again by government,” says fisherman Peter Bruce. He would like to see article 50 – the mechanism to trigger Britain’s formal exit talks with the EU – invoked quickly but that is unlikely. Read the story here 17:27
Fishermen slap down Sturgeon over EU crusade and say she’s ignoring Brexit’s GRAND PRIZE
Ms Sturgeon and her SNP party have consistently warned leaving the EU would be devastating for Scotland’s fishing industry, with “thousands” of jobs at risk. However, the industry experts themselves have dismissed this and accused the First Minister of ignoring the huge benefit of Brexit – reclaiming Scottish fishing waters. The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation said the result of this summer’s EU referendum would end the Common Fisheries Policy, which imposes quotas and allows fishermen from other member states to access Scottish fishing water – which they described as the “best fishing grounds in the world”. Read the rest here 12:07
Video Report: Why Brexit may be the best thing for Britain’s fishing industry
The world was shocked when, in June, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Many believe the severance will negatively affect Britain’s economy, but the fishing industry expects benefits — including increased profitability, poverty relief and elimination of what some fishermen see as harmful restrictions. From southwest England, special correspondent Jennifer Glasse has the story. The June vote to leave may have surprised many there, but it came as welcome news to the island nation’s fishermen. They have long complained about European Union rules, and now they’re hoping Brexit will help them revitalize a fishing industry they say was damaged by E.U. policy. MIKE SHARP, Skipper, “Emilia Jane”: We have all the Dutch, and the French, and the Belgian fishermen, and mainly the Spanish as well coming to land to take our fish out of our waters, which we want to — you know, I think we still can let them come in, but we can decide how many comes in. Read the rest, watch the video click here 17:50
Mon Dieu! Brexit ‘could boot French fishermen out of British waters’
French fishermen fear that Brexit could wreck their industry if they are denied crucial access to British territorial waters in the Channel. The French National Fisheries Committee complained on Tuesday that larger vessels accustomed to fishing in British territorial waters could be deprived of up to 80 per cent of their catch. French boats are currently allowed to fish up to six nautical miles from the British coast but EU laws prevent British vessels from fishing within 12 miles of the French coast. The committee has written to the French prime minister, Manuel Valls, warning that Normandy, Brittany and the ‘Hauts de France’ region around Calais could be “very badly affected” by Britain’s departure from the EU. About 80 per cent of France’s fishing boats never leave French territorial waters, but the remaining 20 per cent, which are larger vessels, bring in up to two-thirds of the national catch. Read the rest here 16:58
CETA on life support because of Brexit
The Brexit vote has left Europe in a mess – and dealt a serious blow to Canada’s trade prospects. (CETA, Canadian fishery issues, click here) The British pound is dropping, world markets are scrambling and most are wondering how the political establishment will address what appears to be a constitutional vacuum related to exiting member-states of the European Union. It speaks to how ill-prepared the union was to such an eventuality. Yet the biggest casualty of Brexit will likely be global trading. And Canada may pay a huge price, since our Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the EU is still under negotiation and won’t be ratified any time soon. And with so much uncertainty in agricultural policies particularly, CETA is undoubtedly on life support, at best. CETA emphasizes Canada’s relationship with the EU and was Canada’s greatest chance to become a significant portal between both continents. The United Kingdom is one of our top food trading partners within the EU and there was great potential to further increase trade in certain commodities. Read the rest here 13:55
Farage to resign as UKIP leader after ‘Brexit’ vote
Nigel Farage announced Monday that he will step down as the leader of the UK Independence Party, saying, “I’ve done my bit” to get Britain out of the European Union. He said the party was “in a good position” following the EU referendum and that his political ambition had been achieved. “I came into this struggle from business because I wanted us to be a self-governing nation, not to become a career politician,” Farage said. He declined to endorse a successor but said, “May the best man, best woman win.” It’s not the first time Farage has said he would resign as the UKIP’s leader. In 2015 he offered to step down after the election, but party members urged him to stay on. Read the rest here 09:05
