Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Scottish fisherman Peter Bruce hoped Brexit would allow him to catch more cod, one of Britain’s favorite fish dishes. Instead, he is concerned with ending less.
Although Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last month’s trade deal will allow the UK to regain control of its fishing waters by taking back 25% of European Union rights in five years, many fishermen to feel to disappoint. They are upset that the participation was well below the original demands and may even mean smaller quantities of some important catches.
“One of the species we care about most is cod,” said Bruce, who has been fishing in the waters of northeastern Scotland for decades. “We were hoping to get more shares. I am sorry to say that it looks like we will have less. “
Although fishing was a tiny part of the economy, it was a key issue that delayed trade negotiations and became symbolic after joining the European single market precipitated its demise. The government says the deal will allow Britain to fish an extra 146 million pounds ($ 199 million), helping an industry that has seen a sharp decline since the 1970s.
The deal will allow fleets to fish more mackerel and herring, but some fishermen may be left with lesser amounts of cod and haddock – a favorite on the UK’s iconic fish and chips dish.
A fisherman works to separate the fish from the About Time boat at English Chanel, UK on 10 January.
Photographer: Jason Alden / Bloomberg
Read more: A quick introduction to why fishing was so important in trade negotiations
The UK landed nearly 1 billion pounds of fish in 2019. Johnson originally demanded an 80% cut in EU rights in British waters, before giving up ground to get a deal. Britain has some of the most fertile fishing areas in Europe, although it has to share them with other nations.
The agreement also means that the exchange of quotas – where species rights are exchanged between boats – may no longer be possible for UK fleets. This means that the amount of cod they can fish in the North Sea will drop from 63.5% to 57%, said the Scottish government. Much of the mackerel and herring caught by UK boats are sold to the mainland.
Although the exchange of quotas between individual countries is no longer permitted, the UK and the EU will hold separate talks on the development of a new mechanism. In response to concerns about major fish stocks, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on its website that the deal will allow the UK to prioritize fishermen’s needs and pointed out quota transfers as part of annual negotiations.
It is not yet clear what the result will be and that means more uncertainty for the sector.
“They donated too much,” said Bruce, who works in Peterhead, Britain’s largest fishing port. “It is regaining control only in the name.”
Falling jobs
British fishermen have been on the decline for the past few decades
Source: Marine Management Organization
The industry wanted Brexit to make up for the losses suffered in the past five decades, after the country traded its extensive fishing grounds for access to the common market, but it didn’t, said Jimmy Buchan, a Scottish fisherman who became a seafood entrepreneur. There is also disappointment that foreign vessels will still be able to fish less than 12 miles off the British coast.
“One of the gold nuggets we just distributed was not to keep foreign ships out of 19 miles,” said Rob Wing, who runs the Cornish Fishmonger, a wholesaler based in southwest England. “Most of our industry could have been helped significantly.”
Read more: How the Brexit Talks finally overcame suspicions, resentments and fish
Export issues
Traders are also concerned about sales to the continent, their main export market. New bureaucracy is causing shipment delays, leaving perishable products at risk of rotting at customs. Many carriers are no longer carrying mixed loads of seafood due to the complex paperwork involved.
“You need a PhD in export to fit that,” said Victoria Leigh-Pearson, director of sales for salmon company John Ross Jr., who had a six-day shipment to Europe due to customs delays. “Food is being wasted because of it.”
Some British vessels have even resorted to landing their catch in Denmark to make the process easier, cutting business for British processors, said James Withers, executive director of the Scotland Food & Drink industrial group. He estimates that seafood traders are currently losing £ 1m in exports a day because of customs chaos.
The Port of Newhaven, United Kingdom, 9 January.
The increase in paperwork also means additional costs, which can make UK companies less competitive, especially smaller ones, said Buchan, who is also CEO of Scottish Seafood Association.
Read more: Scottish boats told to land fewer fish due to Brexit delays
The business obviously benefits, too. This will allow UK fleets to land more generally, with these extra volumes expected to benefit processors – the middlemen between fishermen and retailers – going forward, Wing said. The government has pledged a £ 100 million package to help rebuild fleets, outdated infrastructure and expand the processing industry’s capacity to handle the extra catch.
Many are also happy to abolish some of the EU’s restrictive regulations, such as having to bring all the fish caught ashore.
Lost fish
French fishermen are the biggest losers with limited access to UK waters
Source: European Commission
The key questions in the future are how quickly the industry can build new ships and upgrade ports to take advantage of the new agreement and what the future holds in 5 ½ years.
Johnson suggested that better terms can be sought in annual negotiations once the phasing-in period ends, although the UK and the EU may use retaliatory tariffs if they disagree. Many in the industry doubt that the government will address the concerns of the fishing industry when new negotiations begin, rather than focusing on sectors with the greatest economic impact.
“Despite the high political profile, we were unable to move anything like the distance we should have traveled,” said Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organizations. “There is a lot of skepticism now in the industry that 2025 or 2026 will be different.”
– With the help of Siddharth Vikram Philip and Nikos Chrysoloras
(Adds Defra comment in the eighth paragraph, comment on exports in the 15th paragraph, graph on the country’s catch)