Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Scottish fisherman Peter Bruce hoped Brexit would allow him to catch more cod, one of Britain’s favorite fish dishes. Instead, he worries that he will end up with less.
Although Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed that last month’s trade deal would allow the UK to regain control of its fishing waters by regaining 25% of EU rights in five years, many fishermen feel leave lying. They are annoying that the quota falls well below the original demands and may even mean smaller amounts of some key catches.
“One of the species we are most concerned about is cod,” said Bruce, who has fished in the waters of north-east Scotland for decades. “It simply came to our notice then. I am sorry to say that it seems that we will have less ”.
Although it was a small part of the economy, fishing was a key issue that kept trade talks going and became a symbol after belonging to the European single market precipitated its demise. The government says the deal will allow Britain to catch an additional 146 million pounds ($ 199 million) of fish, which will help an industry that has experienced a sharp decline since the 1970s.
The agreement will allow fleets to catch more mackerel and herring, but some fishermen may be left with smaller amounts of cod and haddock, favored by the UK’s iconic fish and chips dish.
A fisherman works to classify the fish on the ship About Time at English Chanel, UK, on 10 January.
Photographer: Jason Alden / Bloomberg
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The UK landed almost 1 billion pounds of fish in 2019. Johnson originally demanded an 80% cut in EU rights to British waters, before leaving the ground to obtain a agreement made. Britain has some of the most fertile fishing areas in Europe, although it has had to share them with other nations.
The agreement also means that quotas (where species rights are changed between vessels) can be changed for UK fleets. This means that the amount of cod they can catch in the North Sea will drop to 57%, from 63.5%, the Scottish government said. Much of the mackerel and herring caught by British ships are sold on the mainland.
Although the exchange of quotas between countries will no longer be allowed, the United Kingdom and the EU will hold separate talks on the development of a new mechanism. In response to concerns about key fishing stocks, the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on its website that the agreement would allow the UK to prioritize the needs of fishermen and noted quota transfers as part of the annual negotiations.
It is still unclear what the outcome will be, and that means more uncertainty for the industry.
“They’ve given away too much,” said Bruce, who works from Peterhead, Britain’s largest fishing port. “Just regain control of the name”.
Jobs Slump
British fishermen have fallen in recent decades
Source: Marine Management Organization
The industry wanted Brexit to make up for the losses suffered over the past five decades, after the country changed its extensive fishing grounds to access the common market, but that has not happened, said Jimmy Buchan, a Scottish seafood entrepreneur . It is also disappointing that foreign ships can still catch less than 12 miles off the British coast.
“One of the golden seeds we just gave away was not to keep foreign ships out of the 12 miles,” said Rob Wing, who runs Cornish Fishmonger, a wholesaler based in the south-west of England. “Most of our industry could have been helped in such an important way.”
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Export problems
Traders are also concerned about sales on the mainland, their main export market. The new bureaucracy is causing delays in shipping and leaving perishable goods at risk of rotting at customs stations. Many carriers no longer take mixed seafood loads due to the complex documentation involved.
“You need an export doctorate to adapt to that,” said Victoria Leigh-Pearson, sales director for the John Ross Jr. salmon company, which had a delayed shipment to Europe for six days due to customs withholdings. . “That’s why food is being wasted.”
Some British vessels have even resorted to landing their catches in Denmark to facilitate the process, eliminating business for British processors, said James Withers, executive director of Scotland’s Food & Drink industry group. It is estimated that seafood traders are currently losing £ 1 million a day due to customs chaos.
The port of Newhaven, UK, on 9 January.
The increase in paperwork also involves added costs, which runs the risk of making British companies less competitive, especially smaller companies, said Buchan, who is also CEO of the UK. Scottish Seafood Association.
Read more: Scottish boats say they landed fewer fish due to Brexit delays
Obviously, the deal also brings benefits. It will allow UK fleets to land more globally, as these additional volumes should benefit processors (intermediaries between fishermen and retailers) in the future, Wing said. The government has pledged a £ 100m package to help rebuild fleets, age infrastructure and expand the processing sector’s capacity to manage additional catches.
Many are also happy to abolish some of the EU’s restrictive regulations, such as having to bring all caught fish ashore.
Lost fish
French fishermen are the biggest losers in limited access to UK waters
Source: European Commission
The key questions in the future are how quickly the industry can build new ships and improve ports to take advantage of the new agreement and what future we will have left in 5 and a half years.
Johnson has suggested that better conditions can be sought in the annual negotiations once the phasing-in period is over, although both the UK and the EU would be able to use retaliatory tariffs if they do not agree. Many in the industry doubt the government will address the concerns of the fishing industry when new negotiations begin, rather than focusing on sectors with a greater economic impact.
“Despite this high political profile, we were unable to move anything like the distance we should have traveled,” said Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organizations. “There is now great skepticism within the industry that in 2025 or 2026 it will be different.”
– With the assistance of Siddharth Vikram Philip and Nikos Chrysoloras
(Add a Defra comment in the eighth paragraph, a comment on exports in paragraph 15, a graph on the catches of the countries)