Fishing & Coastal Communities
The Government has Betrayed
Britain’s Fishing Industry
Reform UK will seize the huge opportunity to renew our fishing industry and revive our coastal communities.
CRITICAL REFORMS NEEDED IN THE FIRST 100 DAYS:
Stop EU Fishers Taking UK Quotas
End automatic access to UK waters. Every foreign
fishing vessel must pay for a licence to gain access to the UK’s 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as designated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Stop Foreign Owners using British flags of convenience. Quota reforms needed to help small scale fishing.
Expand the Royal Navy Overseas Patrol Squadron
Police Britain’s 200 nautical mile EEZ properly.
Assess the possibility of creating a dedicated coast guard or fisheries protection agency.
Ban Foreign Supertrawlers from UK Waters
Extend the ban on pair trawling for bass beyond the South East and 12-mile territorial waters. Ban Dutch vessels from electric pulse fishing in Britain’s 200 mile EEZ.
THEREAFTER
Rebuild UK Fish Processing
Tax and other incentives to ensure that all fish
caught in British waters are landed and processed
in the UK. Fish caught by foreign vessels in UK
waters should also be landed and processed here
when capacity allows.
Revitalise the UK’s Fishing Fleet
Tax incentives and vocational training to increase
UK fishing fleets. Include fishing communities in
policy making.
Guarantee Sustainable Stocks
Implement a ‘dynamic management system’.
Work with national and regional partners such as
the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission.