Scottish fishermen’s leaders yesterday met Prime Minister Theresa May to urge her to ensure that the UK takes back complete control of its waters after Brexit.
According to Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, in a meeting at 10 Downing Street, Theresa May indicated that she understood the widespread dismay within the industry at the transitional deal which means skippers and crews will continue to be bound by the Common Fisheries Policy until December 2020.
She stated that the focus had to be on the final Brexit deal and delivering what both the government and the industry want – fairer shares for UK fishermen.
‘We are very grateful to the Prime Minister for agreeing to meet us, and I’m pleased to say that we now have a commitment from both sides to work together to achieve the sea of opportunity that Brexit presents for the fishing industry,’ said Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong.
‘We had sincerely hoped that in 365 days’ time we would be free from the shackles of the utterly disastrous CFP and starting to build a better future for our industry. But now we must work with government to make sure that when the transition period is over we have control of our seas – access, quotas and management measures – to allow us to harvest fairer shares of UK stocks.’
