New Vessels Needed to Police Britain’s Restored Fishing Grounds
One of the most damaging consequences of Britain’s EU membership was the devastation caused by the EU Common Fisheries Policy. Fish stocks plummeted and Britain’s fishing industry was decimated whilst for five decades EU boats scooped up millions of tons of fish from Britain’s historic fishing waters.
Yet the feeble and inadequate Brexit deal for fishing meant that EU boats can continue to fish in Britain’s grounds until 2026. That should be scrapped now and EU boats excluded unless strictly licensed and heavily restricted.
When Britain finally regains full control of its fishing grounds – up to the 50% and 200 mile limits – it will need a sufficient fleet of purpose-built patrol vessels to police fishing around our shores.
The government has admitted that there are only three such ships (some reports suggested just two) which contrasts with Norway’s twelve armed vessels protecting its own fishing waters – a serious and meaningful force.
‘Rebuild Britain’ has urged the government to allocate orders for such a fleet of vessels to British shipyards a matter of urgency. This would address Rebuild Britain’s concerns both for the fishing industry and for British manufacturing.
More information on each of these can be found in our first two published pamphlets:-