Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Scottish fisherman Peter Bruce hopes Brexit will allow him to catch more cod, one of Britain’s favorite dishes. Instead, he worries that he will end up with less.
While Prime Minister Boris Johnson has argued that last month’s trade agreement will allow the UK to regain control of its fishing waters by taking over 25% of European Union rights over five years, many fishermen sense disappointment. They are upset that the share has fallen well below the initial requirements and may mean even smaller amounts of some key catches.
“One of the species we care about most is cod,” said Bruce, who has been fishing in the north-east of Scotland for decades. “We were hoping to get more quotas. I’m sorry to say we seem to have less. ”
Although a small part of the economy, fishing was a key issue that supported trade talks and became symbolic after belonging to the European single market precipitated its demise. The government says the deal will allow the UK to catch an additional £ 146 million ($ 199 million) in fish, helping an industry that has declined sharply since the 1970s.
The agreement will allow fleets to catch more mackerel and herring, but some fishermen may be left with smaller amounts of cod and haddock – favored in iconic UK food.
A fisherman is working on sorting the fish on the boat About Time in English Chanel, UK, January 10.
Photographer: Jason Alden / Bloomberg
Read more: A quick analysis of why fishing has been so important in trade talks
The UK landed almost £ 1 billion in fish in 2019. Johnson initially called for an 80% reduction in EU rights in British waters before giving up land to get a agreement concluded. The UK has some of the most fertile fishing areas in Europe, although it has had to share them with other nations.
The agreement also means the exchange of quotas – if species rights are exchanged between boats – may no longer be possible for UK fleets. That means the amount of cod they can catch in the North Sea will drop to 57% from 63.5%, the Scottish government said. Much of the mackerel and herring caught by British boats is sold on the mainland.
While the exchange of quotas between countries will no longer be allowed, the United Kingdom and the EU will have separate discussions on the development of a new mechanism. In response to concerns about key fishing stocks, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on its website that the agreement would allow the UK to prioritize fishermen’s needs and indicated quota transfers as part of the annual negotiations.
It is not yet clear what the outcome will be and that means more uncertainty for the industry.
“They gave way too much,” said Bruce, who works in Peterhead, Britain’s largest fishing port. “He only takes control by name.”
Jobs Slump
British fishermen have been in decline for decades
Source: Maritime Management Organization
The industry wanted Brexit to make up for the losses it has suffered over the past five decades after the country changed its fishing grounds to access the common market, but that did not happen, said Jimmy Buchan, a Scottish seafood entrepreneur . There is also disappointment that foreign boats will still be able to catch less than 12 miles off British shores.
“One of the golden nuggets we just gave was not to keep foreign ships out of 12 miles,” said Rob Wing, who runs Cornish Fishmonger, a wholesale trader based in the south-west of England. “Most of our industry could have been helped so significantly.”
Read more: How he speaks Brexit has finally overcome suspicion, resentment and fish
Go export
Traders are also worried about sales to the mainland, their top export market. The new bureaucracy causes delays in shipment, leaving perishable goods in danger of decay at customs posts. Many carriers no longer take mixed shipments of seafood due to the complex documents involved.
“You need an export PhD to fit this,” said Victoria Leigh-Pearson, sales director at John Ross Jr.’s salmon company, which had a six-day shipment to Europe due to delays. customs. “Food is wasted because of this.”
Some British vessels have even resorted to landing catches in Denmark to make the process easier, disrupting the business of British processors, said James Withers, executive director of Scotland Food & Drink. He estimates that seafood traders are currently losing £ 1 million a day due to customs chaos.
Newhaven Harbor, UK, January 9.
Raising documents also means additional costs, which risks making UK businesses less competitive, especially smaller companies, said Buchan, who is also CEO of Scottish Seafood Association.
Read more: Scottish boats say they land fewer fish due to Brexit delays
Obviously, the business also brings benefits. It will allow British fleets to land more, in general, these additional volumes should be to the benefit of processors – intermediaries between fishermen and retailers – in the future, Wing said. The government has pledged a £ 100m package to help rebuild fleets, age infrastructure and expand the processing sector’s capacity to cope with additional catches.
Many are also happy to remove some of the restrictive EU regulations, such as the need to bring all fish caught on land.
Lost fish
French fishermen are the biggest losers due to limited access to UK waters
Source: European Commission
The key future questions are how quickly the industry can build new ships and modernize ports to take advantage of the new business and what the future holds in 5 and a half years.
Johnson suggested that better conditions could be sought in the annual negotiations with the end of the phasing-in period, although both the UK and the EU could use retaliatory tariffs if they do not agree. Many in the industry doubt that the government will address the concerns of the fishing industry when new negotiations begin, focusing instead on sectors with a greater economic impact.
“Despite that high political profile, we have not been able to move anything like the distance we should have moved away,” said Barrie Deas, executive director of National Federation of Fishermen’s Organizations. “There is great skepticism in the industry that 2025 or 2026 will be different.”
– With the assistance of Siddharth Vikram Philip and Nikos Chrysoloras
(Add comment Defra in the eighth paragraph, comment on exports in the 15th paragraph, catch chart)