Fishing, Hastings and the European Union

The fishing fleet that works from the Stade in Hastings is one of the oldest fishing fleets in the country, the largest beach-launched fishing fleet in Europe, and also famous for its unique and 'listed' tall black huts that were originally used to dry nets, and now used for storage. But what of Britain and its fishing relationship with other European countries, was being part of the Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union (EU) the first time Britain entered into agreements with other countries? 

Well, unsurprisingly, no it wasn't, indeed Britain came to an agreement called the North Sea Fisheries Convention as long ago as 1888, an agreement with Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands, that allowed each country to fish in each other's waters to within 3 miles of respective coastlines. 

However, Britain wasn't happy with this agreement many years later and withdrew in 1963, subsequently instigating the 1964 London Fisheries Convention, signed by the same countries, plus a few others, which allowed each country to fish within each other's waters between 6 and 12 miles from respective coastlines. I wrote about this convention and when Britain submitted its 2 years notice to leave in this blog from 2017.

Since then, of course, Britain joined the EEC in 1973, subsequently becoming the EU, and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which seeks to ensure environmental, economic and social sustainability that fosters a dynamic fishing industry and ensuring a fair standard of living for fishing communities (European Parliament website). It also allows each country to fish between 12 and 200 miles from each other's coasts. 

By 2009 the EU sought to reform the CFP, following a wide-ranging public debate on the way fisheries were managed. A new Common Fisheries Policy came into effect from the 1st of January 2014, and which included policies that particularly effected Hastings fishing industry (European Union website), that is, firstly, to bring in sensible steps to prevent already caught fish having to be discarded. 

Secondly, to bring in quotas to prevent over-fishing and ensure sustainability of fishing stock. This has been very contentious in Hastings, indeed, for the smaller fishing boats and local sustainability, and part of the reason why Greenpeace came to Town in 2015 (blog). It also contributed to anti-EU feeling and Ukip inspired protests like the above demonstration in 2018 (blog).

However, as explained in my Greenpeace blog, and the point was made at that meeting by Paul Joy (NUTFA) too, the job to divide quotas, indeed, to fight within Europe to exclude Under Ten Metre Fishing Boats from quotas, as they had previously been (before 2015), was the British Government and Defra's responsibility, not the EU's. Indeed, the new Common Fisheries Policy (website) states that "Small scale vessel owners would need to receive the right quota mix from national administrations."

So what did Defra do? Well, they gave only 4% of the allocated fishing quotas (blog) to the smaller, and more sustainable, fishing fleets, which make up 80% of British fishing boats... Consequently, this allowed for 96% of quotas to go to larger fishing boats/businesses, and, surprise surprise, over half of Britain's fishing quota has been sold off to foreign fishing boats, although this had been happening already (BBC), for example, 55% of the annual value of catches in 2019!

So, what will British fishing fleets, including the Hastings fishing fleet, gain in coming years? Well, the ability to fish 3 nautical miles from other country's coasts allowed between 1888 and 1963 is no more. The ability to fish 12 miles from other coastlines allowed from 1964 has disappeared already as we left the London Fisheries Convention very recently. Now we will not have agreement to fish between 12 and 200 miles from other coasts either, oops, but as I explained in my blog, neither will EU fishing boats have rights to fish in British waters. We may need to reach agreements...

Oh yes, and approximately 90% of Hastings' catch is sold to Europe...

Plus Defra will still be in control of whatever quotas British governments allocate over the years, experience reminds us that for years they've favoured the 'Big Boys' 😬

Sole Political Party and they Skate around the truth!

I've written about the local Hastings fishing industry, the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), Greenpeace, and the Government and Defra many times over the last 3 and a half years, indeed, since writing this blog. The article written in the latest edition of the Hastings Independent (issue 110), "Stormy Waters," has the support of someone from the Marine Management Organisation saying much of what I keep repeating... That it has not been the European Union and the CFP that has "stitched up" fishermen using boats under 10 metres long, such as are used by the Hastings fishing fleet, but our own Government and Defra, the "bulk of the (British fishing) quota was given to big boats." Indeed, 80% of the British fishing industry uses smaller boats, but were allocated only 4% of the British catch by Defra! This was supported by the Hastings Fishermen spokesperson at that Greenpeace meeting back in March 2015...

Now I have had a publication delivered to me from the local Conservative Party (Hastings and Borough Matters) that, quite frankly, has distorted the truth, blaming the CFP for harming "our Fishermen in Hastings and Rye" and that the CFP has "been a failure" completely ignoring the fact that Defra is the true culprit! As I reported last year (blog), we have given notice to quit the London Fisheries Convention, signed in 1964, which will mean that when we have left the EU, we can police the waters between 6 and 12 miles from our shores, preventing other signatories from fishing in those waters, similarly, British fishing boats will not be allowed to fish in other signatories' waters, something that Michael Gove has boasted as "taking back control of our waters" and that "the future will be bright" for the local fishing industry.

Of course, far from being the 'champion' of the local fishing industry that Gove says she was, and our MP has certainly campaigned for reform of the CFP, though even when she was in Cabinet, and when she must have had some political clout surely, nothing ever changed regarding the allocation to Under Ten Metre fishing fleets; with the larger boats still getting preference from Defra and continuing to receive 96% of the catch in Britain's allocation (see New Under Ten Fishermens Association NUTFA website too). Oh yes, and who is the Minister in charge of Defra? Our great new friend the Secretary of State, Michael Gove!

With many thanks to the Hastings Independent for the photograph above of Gove's recent visit... Oh yes, and fat chance that the Defra position will ever favour the Under Ten Metre fishing boats as they have consistently favoured the big boys! So, don't hold your collective breath, Hastings.



Fishing Industry: Things are happening!

The government is set to take Britain out of the London Fisheries Convention, agreed and signed in 1964 before we joined the EEC, by giving 2 years notice to leave the agreement tomorrow. The convention is an arrangement that allows fishing boats from other countries to fish within six and twelve nautical miles of the UK coastline and for British fishing boats to fish within six and twelve miles of  foreign countries, including Ireland, The Netherlands, France, Germany and Belgium. Consequently, withdrawing from the convention means that British fishing boats will also lose the right to fish in waters six to twelve nautical miles offshore of these other countries. 

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the move would help take back control of fishing access to UK waters, "for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters." But Will McCallum, Greenpeace UK head of oceans, said that leaving the convention would not in itself deliver a better future for the UK fishing industry, and that for years British governments had blamed the EU for their own "failure" to support the small-scale, sustainable fishing boats, such as those of the Hastings fleet. Indeed, British governments had allowed foreign fishing boats to buy British boats' fishing allowances for themselves, which decreased the numbers of fish that British fishing boats could land under the separate EU Common Fisheries Policy. 

The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations has welcomed the decision. Chief executive Barrie Deas said: "This is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone." He said Mr Gove needed to keep the 2015 Conservative Party manifesto commitment to "re-balance fishing quotas in favour of small-scale, specific locally based fishing communities", which they have done nothing about in the 2 years since that election. 

Things are getting very interesting, and that's without looking at the coming negotiations of the 12 to 200 miles fishing waters covered by the Common Fisheries Policy, particularly considering that Paris is less than 200 miles from Hastings and London is less than 200 miles from many other countries' borders!

More information at the ITV news website.