The UK lays out a post-Brexit fisheries plan
The British government wants to change the fisheries plan after 2020, considering that the allocation of fishing opportunities under the CFP was outdated and that the United Kingdom’s share did not accurately reflect the resources in UK waters, informs Seafood Source magazine.
Gove mentioned that, between 2012 and 2016, other EU member states’ vessels annually landed on average 760,000 metric tons (MT) of fish worth GBP 540 million (€613.2 million) in U.K. waters; whereas UK vessels landed approximately 90,000 MT of fish worth GBP 110 million (€124.9 million) in other member states’ waters per year in the same time period.
From his point of view, once Britain will be outside EU there will be specific and considerable opportunities for the sector. The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has presented a White Paper that presents a new perspective on the fisheries sector in the next few years.
"As we leave the EU, we are committed to working closely with our partners to manage shared stocks in a sustainable way and share fishing opportunities on a fair and scientific basis. We have instigated a comprehensive program of research to inform this process and provide the evidence to secure a fairer share of fishing opportunities for U.K. fishers. Together we will cast a future arrangement that is good for fisheries, for the environment, and for consumers. Equipped with a new fisheries policy, the U.K. fisheries sector will be in a strong position to trade seafood with export markets around the world", underlined Michael Gove.
Official data shows that, in 2016, the UK exported GBP 1.17 billion (€1.3 billion) of seafood to the EU, and imported GBP 1.04 billion (€1.2 billion) from the EU.
In the short-term, U.K. fisheries policy will align with the agreement reached with the EU on 19 March 2018 on an implementation period. This period will serve as a “stepping stone” to a future relationship with the EU. However, from 2020, the United Kingdom will be negotiating access and fishing opportunities for 2021 as an independent coastal state. DEFRA is expecting any points of view from industry, NGOs, and other stakeholders to be expressed until 12 September.
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