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.
