Defra ‘There has been widespread coverage in the news see BBC News Online, Intrafish following yesterday’s conclusion of the bilateral fisheries negotiations with Norway on fishing opportunities for 2021. Discussions concluded without the parties reaching an agreement, meaning for 2021 neither will have access to fish in the other’s waters.’
A Defra spokesperson said:
“We have always been clear that we will only strike agreements if they are balanced and in the interests of the UK fishing industry. We put forward a fair offer on access to UK waters and the exchange of fishing quotas, but we have concluded that our positions remain too far apart to reach an agreement this year. Norway is a key partner and we will continue to work with them over the course of the year.” Click here to read more
Guardian – quotes from UK Fishing representatives ‘Brexit: failure to secure UK-Norway fishing deal a ‘disaster’ for sector – Talks on quotas collapsed on Friday, endangering jobs and threatening to push up price of fish and chips.
SFF Statement on failure of UK-Norway fisheries deal for 2021 Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the SFF, said: “The failure to reach an agreement on fisheries between the UK and Norway for 2021 is disappointing, especially for our whitefish fleet, as Scottish and UK negotiators worked hard to make a fair and balanced offer to their Norwegian counterparts that would have been to both parties’ advantage for the rest of this year.
“It does however reflect that the UK’s new status as an independent coastal state has fundamentally changed the fisheries landscape in the north-east Atlantic, with both Faroe and Norway deciding not to have agreements with this UK this year, despite now having over-arching fisheries framework agreements with the UK.
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