Britain’s House of Lords European Union Committee has published a report outlining what it has identified as the risks and opportunities of Brexit for the UK fishing industry.
A key factor is that the UK fishing industry is small, accounting for less than 0.05% of Britain’s GDP, making it unlikely to be a high priority for Britain’s negotiators when Brexit talks finally get underway. The Committee stressed the significance of the fishing industry to many coastal communities and urge that it ‘must not be marginalised in the wider Brexit negotiations.’
The Committee has also highlighted that under international law the UK will have the right post-Brexit to control who fishes within its exclusive economic zone. The report makes clear that exiting the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is an opportunity to develop regulations that are ‘tailored to the United Kingdom.’
At the same time, the Committee noted that the UK will continue to be under international obligations to co-operate with neighbouring states if stocks are shared between the waters of two or more countries, pointing out that fish do not recognise political borders, and most commercial fish stocks are shared with those of other EU or European coastal states.
As a result, the UK will still have an obligation to continue to co-ordinate the exploitation of shared stocks with the EU and other neighbouring countries.
The Committee states in its report that the CFP has allowed more regional flexibility in recent years, and that it has played a role in protecting fish stocks from over fishing. According to the Lords’ report, TACs and quotas should continue to be based on scientific advice and the UK should not ‘discard the positive elements of the CFP that successive Governments have worked hard to achieve.’
The committee’s report quoted figures demonstrating that of the 666,000 tonnes of both farmed and wildcaught fish produced in the UK in 2014, 499,000 tonnes were exported, and 66% of those exports went to the EU. The UK also imported 721,000 tonnes of fish, 32% of which came from the EU. The conclusion is that if the UK fishing industry as a whole is to thrive post Brexit it will need to continue to have access to EU markets.
‘Many people in the UK fishing industry were vocal supporters of Brexit and there is a strong sense that it presents an opportunity for them to grow and develop the industry,’ said Lord Teverson, Chairman of the House of Lords EU Energy and the Environment Sub-Committee.
‘That may very well be the case but if that opportunity is to be taken, while ensuring fishing does not return to the unsustainable levels of the past, we need to ensure the recent positive developments of the Commons Fisheries Policy, largely promoted by the UK, are not discarded. Fish stocks are a shared resource and fish don’t recognise national borders. We will have to continue managing fish stocks in a responsible and cooperative way to prevent over fishing.’
He said that the UK fishing industry relies heavily on trade with the European Union and Brexit will inevitably involve numerous trade-offs.
‘It may very well be that EU member states demand more access to UK waters than some fishers would want in return for our continued rights to sell fish to the European market with zero tariffs,’ he commented.
‘What we are absolutely clear on is that the fishing industry and the coastal communities who rely on that industry should not be overlooked and must be fully consulted. While fisheries is a relatively small part of the UK economy, it is of fundamental importance to a great many people in different parts of the UK, from Brixham to Grimsby and Newlyn to Shetland. Those voices must be heard in the negotiations.’
The report is last of six reports published in six days over the last week as the Committee has scrutinised Brexit ahead of the expected triggering of Article 50 in March 2017.
