Fisheries Facts and the EU

FishingMagic · Jun 1, 2016

This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: Fisheries Facts and the EU

http://www.fishingmagic.com/fm-features/opinion/18356-fisheries-facts-and-the-eu.html

Read Martin Salter's endorsement of the EU's record on some aspects of commercial sea-fishing: could it tilt the balance in the way you vote on 23rd June?

no-one in particular · Jun 1, 2016

I don't think the EU fisheries policy has worked as well this article would like us to believe.

Cliff Hatton · Jun 1, 2016

It certainly hasn't stopped the pirates...see headlines.

theartist · Jun 1, 2016

The comments on cleaner rivers being a bi-product of being in the EU is interesting given the study the other year that found most to be below par.

Sure the EU has made a lot of laws many of which make sense but given that we have been in the European community since 1973 (which became the EU in 1993) there's nothing to say the same level of progress would not have been made on our own.

As an angler who has lived in an area of London that was very European I can only see one vote where the pros outweigh the cons - OUT

martinsalter · Jun 1, 2016

Well it's difficult to argue with the premis that fish swim about and don't read maps therefore they need collaborative management to deliver any sort of sustainable marine fishery. I see that no one disputes that EU action has triggered a cod recovery in the North Sea. It's also true to say that Westminster did nothing to prevent the bass stocks crash until the EU started to take notice.

thecrow · Jun 1, 2016

Some things in that article only tell pert of the truth, water framework directive? no where near completed, cleaner river?, most are still below what is required, catches sold to other countries at higher prices than could be achieved here means that prices are higher here than they would be if more were sold here. Not impressed.

floatfish · Jun 1, 2016

Prior to EEC / E.U membership and handing over of the fishing to them by the U.K Governments we had several Ports with huge deep water and near water fishing fleets.
Aberdeen, Peterhead, Hull, Grimsby, Fleetwood come to mind.These employed many thousands both ashore in processing and at Sea .
Now following the E.U and other deals by U.K Government to negotiate fishing rights. We don't have the fleets anymore.! Owners are paid to lay Boats up.
The common fisheries policies have not done the U.K fishing industries any favours. It is true much U.K quota has been sold to European owners, mainly due to so many restrictions ,days at sea etc placed on our fishermen.They cannot make a living and our Government rigid sticking to all rules. Where
other countries tend to be a bit more relaxed.!
One Dutch owned huge freezer trawler registered in Hull with a very large lump of U.K quota fishes U.K waters and lands in European Ports, not .UK.
Our Deep Sea fish tends to come from Iceland and Norway,much of it in freezer containers. Processing only done in U.K.
The E.U fisheries policies have helped to kill a huge industry.

no-one in particular · Jun 2, 2016

I agree with Martin Salter the EU is needed to solve the problem and that they have completed some favorable legislation. But not in the saving of our fish stocks. Quotas, net sizes, size limits etc have been going on for 60+ years and many species are still in danger or no where near their optimum levels. The Cod bans have been at the expense of other species many of which are now dangerously low and Cod have only made a small recovery in year classes but still do not get beyond a certain age in any numbers..
The danger in this article is it appears the EU and our ministers thinks it is on the right track and will continue on this track and cannot see it does not work after 60+ years of application. Even without the abuse of it, it still wouldn't work and almost impossible to police effectively anyway and as the above excellent article pointed out, is destroying our fishing industry..
What we need is large safe havens for fish and all sea life to allow these areas to prosper, recover and provide a guaranteed stock of fish, ensuring they do not become extinct and easily policed as well. This idea has been proven to work.
Not a time for the EU and our ministers to pat themselves on the back but start looking at valid alternatives and quickly.

Peter Jacobs · Jun 2, 2016

As anglers then we are all concerned with the Environment in general, and it follows logically that; just as fish show no regard for national borders, neither do climatic conditions or their causes.

Therefore it also follows that an isolated UK, outside of the main authoritative body for European Environmental policies, is simply unthinkable.

thecrow · Jun 2, 2016

Peter Jacobs said:
outside of the main authoritative body for European Environmental policies, is simply unthinkable.

For you maybe Peter but for others its unthinkable to remain. All the policies in the world can be handed down from those in Brussels but unless the authorities here put the resources into doing what the policies demand they are nothing more than smoke and mirrors and that's mostly what this article is. The WFD is a prime example.

Why do we need Brussels to tell us what to do with our environment? are we not capable of making our own policies for our environment?

greenie62 · Jun 2, 2016

thecrow said:
...Why do we need Brussels to tell us what to do with our environment? are we not capable of making our own policies for our environment?

Ostensibly NOT! Look where it's got us to date!

Without the oversight from the EU we would still be wallowing in our own sea of filth - a little bit of lip-service to WFD when it looks like we are going to fined for non-performance seems the only way to get UK Gov plc to start noticing how fast time is passing whilst vested interests get richer through inaction!

Sorry Mods if that's too political!

Cliff Hatton · Jun 2, 2016

A problem here is, of course, is that we are anglers and conservationists who want the very best fishing practices and the best possible environment in which they might take place; but we're also consumers, workers, job-seekers, fathers, mothers, business owners, tax-payers, 'indigenous' Britons and daily users of the NHS, schools, roads, water and sewerage services and all of the other public (and private) services for which we pay. Do we put commercial fishing before other considerations when it comes to casting our vote? One could argue that all of the world's problems are attributable to over-population; accordingly, all of Britain's problems might be seen in the same light. Where's JC when you need him? He only needed 5 fishes...

theartist · Jun 2, 2016

Cliff Hatton said:
Do we put commercial fishing before other considerations when it comes to casting our vote? One could argue that all of the world's problems are attributable to over-population

Hope not and at least we're not an overpopulated island

Peter Jacobs · Jun 2, 2016

Cliff Hatton said:
One could argue that all of the world's problems are attributable to over-population; accordingly, all of Britain's problems might be seen in the same light

. . . whereas only here in the UK do some people think that everything that ails the UK is directly the fault of the EU, when in REALITY (sorry to use such an emotive word) the major problems that face the UK are totally home-made¹

¹ and wholly so when related to the Environment and our fisheries protection schemes (or lack of them!)

theartist · Jun 2, 2016

Peter Jacobs said:
. . . whereas only here in the UK do some people think that everything that ails the UK is directly the fault of the EU, when in REALITY (sorry to use such an emotive word) the major problems that face the UK are totally home-made¹

Not sure everything is the EU's fault the big problem is we can't do anything about anything because of the EU

All were asking is to be able run our own country and not be a state of Europe being run by the Germans with the French in tow via Brussels.

Fisheries Facts and the EU

FishingMagic

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no-one in particular

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Cliff Hatton

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theartist

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martinsalter

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thecrow

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floatfish

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no-one in particular

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Peter Jacobs

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thecrow

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greenie62

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Cliff Hatton

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theartist

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Peter Jacobs

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theartist

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