Tag Archives: EU-UK trade talks
Fishing: Why it is the first flashpoint issue in EU-UK trade talks
The Father McKee is the Greencastle man’s 65m trawler and is out with his sons in the north Bay of Biscay off France fishing for boarfish, a small fish used to make meal for feeding salmon. Cavanagh does not fish anymore – “too many birthdays”, says the 70-year-old. The UK’s decision to exit the European Union and the potential closing of soon-to-be British waters, on top of existing restrictions, has made life stormier onshore for Irish fishermen like Cavanagh. “We have more challenges ashore than when we are at sea,” says Cavanagh, buffeted by blustery Donegal weather on the quayside. Video, >click to read< 10:20
Brexit: Why fishing threatens to derail EU-UK trade talks
If Brexit Britain were to close its waters to foreign vessels, the impact would be immediate and severe on fishing communities such as those in Boulogne, adding to the pressures from climate change and warmer seas that fishermen say have driven away the cod and brought in more squid and spider crabs. Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, fanned the flames last week by insisting that the UK will “take back control” and have full jurisdiction over the UK’s “spectacular maritime wealth”. Ensuring that fishing rights do not die with Brexit is a priority for the bloc’s coastal states, not least France, in future relationship negotiations with Britain that will begin in the weeks after the UK leaves the EU on Friday. >click to read< 07:58
