The EU have come out clearly saying that they want access to UK water for fisheries. Given that the Scottish Tory MPs come from the fishing communities this will be another political time bomb.

Two articles:

1.    EU access to UK waters after Brexit

Yesterday (Wednesday 7 March), a draft European Council document was circulated, setting out its position on future trade and cooperation with the UK. Various newspapers, including the Telegraph, The Sun and The Guardian have reported the EU has said it wants current fishing rights in UK waters to be maintained after Brexit. As we leave the EU, we are working to secure the best deal for the whole of the UK fishing industry. We have always been clear that leaving the EU means we will take back control of our waters and while other countries will be able to access our waters, it will be on our terms and for the benefit of UK fishermen. We will also continue to work with the EU to manage shared stocks in a sustainable way and with a fairer allocation of fishing opportunities for the UK fishing industry.     Click here to read the Defra response

2.Why Brexit could lead to overfishing – to the detriment of everyone

Griffin Carpenter

The Ecologist 9th March 2018   The idea of the UK setting its own fishing limits post Brexit is welcomed by many fishermen. But it could be detrimental to fish stocks as countries put their own interests ahead of the collective good, argues Griffin Carpenter

European fish stocks will continue to serve as a joint bank account after Brexit – but the UK and EU have yet to agree on a budget. With each passing month, the comparison of Brexit to a painful divorce proceeding seems increasingly accurate. The process is messy, conflict-ridden, and frustratingly drawn-out.

Nowhere are these frustrations more strongly felt than in the fishing industry, where despite concerns over tariff and non-tariff barriers to the hugely important EU market, many fishers are eager for the UK to gain the power to set its own fishing limits.

But there’s a catch – a messy separation that leaves the UK and EU setting their own fishing limits is almost guaranteed to deliver rampant overfishing. 

Shared resource

European fish stocks are by their very nature a shared resource. Fish swim around with no respect for borders and no sense of patriotism.

In the context of the Brexit divorce, it is helpful to think of fish stocks as a joint bank account, and the reality is that both the UK and the EU will continue to have access to the joint account under every possible Brexit scenario – even without access to each other’s waters.

The danger, then, is that both parties are also able to deplete the account, should they choose. Would either party seek to damage fish stocks? Not intentionally, but the risk remains regardless. Click here to read more