Irish fishing industry organisations have welcomed the “breakdown” of attempts by Norway to seek unrestricted access to blue whiting grounds off the Irish coast.

“Now is the time for the Irish Government and the EU to address the massive disparity in Ireland’s share of EU fishing quotas,” three organisations have said in a joint statement.

The statement by the Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation (IFPO), Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation (IS&WFPO) and the Irish Fish Processors’ and Exporters’ Association (IFPEA) said Ireland's fishing industry has “suffered massive negative impacts from EU membership, compared to other sectors of our economy”.

“We welcome the breakdown of Norway’s recent attempts to secure unfettered access to our blue whiting grounds from the EU,” IFPO chief executive Aodh O’Donnell said.

“We also welcome the Minister for the Marine’s commitment to resist the Norwegian overtures. We note that Norway has now secured a deal for blue whiting with Russia,” he said.

“But the whole blue whiting row has underlined an appalling attitude at EU level towards Ireland’s fishing industry. The EU has never delivered an equitable share of fishing rights to Ireland. This has been compounded over the decades by our Government’s failure to secure a fair deal for our fishing industry,” he added.

IFPEA chief executive Brendan Byrne said Ireland is at “a critical point in our fishing industry”.

“Brexit and the disastrous TCA deal for Irish fishing has left an industry that is struggling to survive,”he said.

“ That EU deal created a 40% loss in the value of our permitted catch, compared to just 6% for Spain – who are allowed to catch more fish in our waters then we are,” Byrne said.

“When you consider this context, it is profoundly shocking that the EU would even consider granting Norway unfettered access to Irish waters, without a comparable dividend to Ireland,”he said.

“The Government urgently need to make it abundantly clear, that the historical arrangements between the EU and Norway will be honoured. However, they must also make clear that any new or additional access south of the 56 degree line or east of the 12 degree line must be dealt with separately and with consideration for the Irish,”he said.

“For too long Ireland’s fishing industry has suffered or paid a price to accommodate others, while all the time our own fishing industry declines. This is where we say no more and no further – the very life blood has been long drawn from the Irish fishing industry we need to take a stand here,” Byrne said.

“Ireland will play the part of good Europeans but that is a two-way process. We also need to be respected and treated fairly by our EU colleagues as equal members of this union of states,”he said.

IS&WFPO chief executive Patrick Murphy said Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue had “shown determination at EU level to reduce the EU transfer of blue whiting quotas to Norway”.

‘’It is vital that the Minister maintains this position and secures a meaningful transfer of quota to Ireland from this third country, and as a compensatory measure, in lieu of access to our waters,”he said.

“ Blue whiting in Irish waters is valued at an estimated €100-€120m for 2023. Ireland currently has just 3% of the EU allowable quota for blue whiting, while Norway already has 18% and was seeking more from our waters,”he said.

O’Donnell said Irish fishing bodies had “pulled together to fight the Norway blue whiting plans”.

““The EU clearly expected Ireland to just roll over and accept this appalling proposal, and did not expect our vociferous and effective opposition. We must continue to pull together to benefit our members and the nation’s fishing industry,”he said.

“We want to work closely with the Minister for the Marine and the EU in 2023 to secure a better deal for Ireland. There are serious issues involved here. There is the survival of the Irish fishing fleet and the coastal communities who depend on them. There is the issue of food security and Ireland’s supply of fresh fish,” he said.

He said that the “hits” which Ireland’s seafood sector had taken over the past few decades has “reduced its value to the Irish economy”.

“It’s time now to work collaboratively to turn this around so Ireland can more equitably and sustainably benefit from the ocean resource that surrounds our island,” he said.

Irish fishing industry representatives have commended the European Commission for “standing firm” over a push by Norway for additional access to Irish waters.

Negotiations between the EU and Norway were suspended late last week without approving Norway's request for more access to blue whiting off the Irish coast.

It was anticipated the issue would be referred on to the annual EU agrifish council, which opened on Sunday in Brussels.

Commenting on behalf of the Irish seafood sector, IFPO chief executive Aodh O'Donnell commended the EU for "standing firm in relation to the Norwegian request for additional access to Irish waters", and urged the European Commission and Mr McConalogue to "maintain a firm line".

An overall 81 per cent increase in blue whiting quota had been recommended by scientists for the next year.

Blue Whiting Photo: Wikipedia

Norway is seeking to catch much of its anticipated increased share off the Irish west coast, without any return in terms of quotas directly to Ireland, according to the Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation (IFPO) chief executive Aodh O’Donnell.

““This not just about blue whiting - there is a principle here, where a non-EU member state should not be given access to areas within our EEZ without some return for Ireland,” O’Donnell said.

Reciprocal Arctic cod quotas would mainly be allocated to other EU member states, including Spain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal, the IFPO leader said.

“The Norwegians need to be equitable and fair in making a request such as this,” Irish Fish Processors and Exporters’ Association (IFPEA) chief executive Brendan Byrne said.

Fine Gael MEP Colm Markey

O’Donnell raised the issue with the EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius at a meeting arranged by Fine Gael MEP Colm Markey in Brussels several weeks before the opening of the annual EU fish quota talks.

The IFPO said it believed the Commissioner understood the “access principle” in relation to a non-EU member seeking to fish inside the Irish exclusive economic zone.

Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries State Secretary Vidar Ulriksen has said allocation of cod to other EU members in return for blue whiting is “internal EU policy, and Norway is not involved in these decisions”.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine said Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue was “seeking to address the challenge” and was maintaining close contact with the Irish industry.

The National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) is to host its second annual seafarers’ conference on the theme of offshore wind and the fishing industry in Limerick next February.

The hybrid event is sponsored by Simply Blue Group, the offshore wind energy developer, on the theme “Thriving Fishing, Thriving Offshore Wind, Thriving Ports”, and will run during the Skipper Expo.

Speakers at the event on February 23rd, 2023 in the Castletroy Park Hotel will include BIM interim chief executive officer Caroline Bocquel, Wind Energy Ireland chief executive Noel Cunniffe, State Chief Surveyor Brian Hogan at the Marine Survey Office, and Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO) project co-ordinator Norah Parke.

Topics for discussion will include exploring what the fishing industry needs to thrive; the policy regime for renewable energy; implementation of the Government’s future skills needs report; the ecosystem impacts of offshore wind farms; and the future for Ireland’s fishing ports.

Minister for Agriculture and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said he was “enthused to see the conference appended to The Skipper Expo as it provides an ideal forum within which seafarers and offshore wind developers can meet and discuss a coexistent future”.

“To ensure a sustainable seafood industry in parallel with Ireland meeting its climate action targets, the protection of biodiversity and the building of the necessary skills to achieve all of this, I encourage delegates to co-create solutions towards a sustainable, safe, and secure future for all,”he said.

Simply Blue Group director of external affairs and stakeholder liaison Captain Brian Fitzgerald said that “if ever Ireland needed its mariners and coastal communities to work together to co-create a sustainable future, it is now”.

“Let this Conference be a place to have an open and frank discussion on the challenges ahead, while enabling our ability to plot our own course and navigate towards a sustainable future for the next generation,”Fitzgerald said.

NMCI head of college Cormac Gebruers said the college was delighted to “get on the road” and host the 2023 Seafarer Conference in Limerick in association with The Skipper Expo.

“Preparing for Ireland’s future maritime skills needs most especially in the offshore wind sector is a central consideration for the NMCI. We very much look forward to discussing this with Ireland’s seafarers,”he said.

Fishing vessels have been forced to withdraw from a shore side energy supply, due to a threatened 378 per cent increase in prices.

The shoreside scheme for larger vessels in Irish fishery harbours aimed to reduce harmful emissions from diesel generators, required in the case of freezer trawlers and for heat, light and technical equipment on board while in port.

In a letter sent by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, and seen by Donegal Daily, it says that it has been advised that current contracts for electricity supply from Electric Ireland, available from the Office of Government Procurement (OGP), expired on November 30th.

The department told fishery harbour centre users in the letter that it had been advised electricity prices may rise by as much as 378 per cent from December 1st, based on a 12-month estimate.

The letter said that usually, OGP utilities protected against volatile price changes, but it had been unable to secure a “replacement framework” for electricity contracts.

It said it would update users in due course, and in the meantime it advised users they may be eligible for the “Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme “ operated by the Revenue Commissioners.

One vessel owner quoted by Donegal Daily, said the increase in the electricity price adds up to €400 per day to their bills.

“This is just another slap in the face for Killybegs fishermen,” he said.

“As of December 1st, every one of us is back using the diesel generators, and we are not even getting a fuel subsidy. The electricity was expensive to begin with, this increase is a joke,” he said.

The shoreside project known as “Cold Ironing” was initiated by the department in July 2020 at a cost of €1.7 million.

It aimed to save on 2,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year – equivalent to taking almost 500 cars off the road and improvements in the local environment through reduced noise and air pollution.

Read more in Donegal Daily here

Levels of mercury in fish landed in Ireland are very low and fish is safe for consumption by the general population, latest available data finds.

This will be “comforting for the Irish seafood industry and consumers alike”, Prof Ronan Gormley of University College Dublin’s (UCD) school of agriculture and food science says.

Writing in UCD’s SeaHealth e-bulletin, Prof Gormley explains that a monitoring programme was put in place for fish landed at major Irish fishing ports in response to the introduction of maximum limits for mercury in fishery products in 1993.

The monitoring by Ireland’s Marine Institute has found that mercury levels of fish and shellfish landed at Irish ports are low and “well within the EU human-consumption tolerance level”.

“However, these catches do not include deepwater species such as shark, swordfish, marlin and tuna,” Prof Gormley notes.

Mercury is a naturally occurring heavy metal found in air, water and soil, but mercury from industrial centres can travel miles before “raining into the ocean in organic form as methyl mercury”, he explains.

“Fish become contaminated, leading to public health concerns about different species and their mercury levels,” he notes.

In 2004 the EU Commission asked the European Food Safety Authority to consider data collected by member states.

It published its opinion, with emphasis on mercury intake from fish by vulnerable groups such as women of childbearing age, breastfeeding women and young children to raise awareness in all national authorities with responsibility for public health.

Prof Gormley notes that large, predatory fish such as shark, tarpon, swordfish and tuna accumulate higher levels of mercury over a long lifetime.

“These species are often migratory, and it is not possible to exclude fish from particular waters where background levels of mercury contamination might be high,” he says.

However, data shows that EU consumers who eat average amounts (300-350g a week) of fishery products are not likely to be exposed to unsafe levels of methylmercury.

Consumers who eat a lot of fish may be at higher risk, but at time of issue of the EC note (2004) there was insufficient data to specify the situation in all member states.

Maximum levels of mercury in fish were amended in 2022, he notes.

Levels were lowered for cephalopods (eg, squid, octopus, cuttlefish, nautilus) and marine gastropods (eg, abalone, conches, periwinkles and whelks) to 0.5 or 0.3mg/kg. Levels in shark, swordfish, pike and tuna were maintained at 1mg/kg.

Consumption of shark, swordfish, marlin and fresh tuna in Ireland is relatively low, apart from canned tuna which is increasing in popularity.

Latest advice is that pregnant or breastfeeding women and young children should not exceed two 226g cans a week.

Other adults and young people should continue to eat tuna and fish products as components of a healthy diet, Prof Gormley says.

The European Commission has said it hopes to represent “the best interests” of EU member states in talks with Norway on blue whiting.

A Commission official was responding to fears voiced earlier this month by Irish fishing organisations that Norway would be granted greater access to annual quotas in Irish waters, while offering no reciprocal arrangement.

In a joint statement, industry organisations had appealed to Minister for the Marine Charlie McConalogue to ensure that the EU “blocks Norway, a non-EU member, from gaining unilateral access to our blue whiting grounds”.

Minister for the Marine Charlie McConalogue

“The EU already threw Ireland under the bus when it came to quota cuts after Brexit,” Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) chief executive Aodh O’Donnell said.

“We took the hardest hits. A staggering 40 % of the total value of quotas transferred to the UK under Brexit came from Ireland,” he said, questioning whether the EU was “now considering that we take the hit again for a non-EU member?”

"The EU already threw Ireland under the bus"

“ It’s time to ask serious questions about the EU’s attitude to Ireland and our fishing industry,” O’Donnell had said, pointing out that “the fact that Norway is making their request to the EU and NOT directly to Ireland, speaks volumes”.

Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) chief executive Aodh O’Donnell

Norway seemed “optimistic that the EU would unilaterally surrender access to Irish fishing grounds to a non-EU member – based on the track record of EU treatment of the Irish fishing industry”, he noted.

Brendan Byrne of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA) said that Norway was pushing the EU to increase a transfer of quota by a staggering 158% to 80,000 tonnes, in addition to access.

“Most of this will be caught in our waters. Essentially, the Norwegians have enormous quotas but want additional access to Irish waters to catch this valuable stock. Their total catch of this species will have a value in excess €100 million in the coming year,” Byrne had said.

Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation chief executive Patrick Murphy said that Norway’s quotas were nine times those of Ireland, and there was “no justice in allocating them more rights to fish in the Irish Box.”

The Irish organisations said it was a “red line” issue, and stressed that any agreement by the EU with Norway must be balanced by a reciprocal arrangement.

A Commission official said that “when representing the EU in international negotiations, the European Commission operates on the basis of positions coordinated with the member states”.

“The Commission notes that the current fisheries arrangements between the EU and Norway include reciprocal access to waters to fish for blue whiting and that the exchanges of fishing opportunities for 2023 are still to be discussed between the parties,” the official said.

“The Commission welcomes the contribution of industry organisations and representatives to these consultations and looks forward to achieving progress in the best interest of the EU and its Member States,”the official said.

The Irish fishing industry is being threatened with another major impact on its waters This is from Norway a non-EU Membet State which wants to get its fleet into Irish waters to fish for the valuable blue whiting.

Norway has made a direct request to the EU for access, ignoring the Irish Government.

“The fact that Norway is making their request to the EU and NOT directly to Ireland, speaks volumes," said Aodh O'Donnell CEO of the Irish Fish Producers' Organisation. "They seem optimistic that the EU would unilaterally surrender access to Irish fishing grounds to a non-EU member – based on the track record of EU treatment of the Irish fishing.

“The EU already threw Ireland under the bus when it came to quota cuts after Brexit,

We took the hardest hits. A staggering 40% of the total value of quotas transferred to the UK under Brexit came from Ireland. This was way more than was taken from any other EU nation, including those with much shorter coastlines and far higher quotas than Ireland at the outset. Why is the EU now considering that we take the hit again for a non-EU member? It’s time to ask serious questions about the EU’s attitude to Ireland and our fishing industry.

"Blue whiting is a valuable species, concentrated in Irish waters. The Irish industry has pioneered its development as a quality food product for export markets. Basically, Norway is looking to more than double the amount of Blue Whiting they can fish and access further south in our waters. They are not offering any quid pro quo to Ireland, in terms of rights to fish in their waters."

Norway already has a quota agreement for 2023 with Russia, which involves reciprocal arrangements regarding fishing and landing Russian vessels in Norwegian ports. This is despite the sanctions’ regime against Russia, because of the war against Ukraine.

"They are not even EU members and so, they must be refused unfettered access to fishing in the Irish Box. Although they do not belong to the EU, they currently already have rights to fish in the West of Ireland. Now, we are asked to give them access further south in Irish waters to catch blue whiting,” says O'Donnell.

Brendan Byrne of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA) said:.‘’In addition to access, Norway is pushing the EU to increase a transfer of quota by a staggering 158% to 80,000 tonnes. Most of this will be caught in our waters."

Representative organisations have called on the Irish Government to reject what they describe as "an outrageous" move by the Norwegians.

Patrick Murphy of the Irish South and West Producers Organisation (IS&WFPO) said": "There is no justice in allocating them more rights to fish in the Irish Box.”

“Any access to the Irish box to catch fish in our waters must be managed with a compensatory transfer of Norwegian quota to the Irish Fleet,” says O Donnell. “We admire the Norwegians for how they represent their vessels, but this ask is simply unreasonable. We call on the Minister to secure a ‘whole of government backing’ and meet with Irish fishing representatives urgently, to ensure that an equitable arrangement is made.”

Ireland has said that the European Commission will be “at odds with best practice” if it fails to make legislative changes to its Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

Ireland’s submission to Brussels says there is a “compelling case” for a deeper review of the CFP, given the “urgent need for legislative change” due to a number of “critical” challenges.

The policy, which is the subject of a review every ten years, is due for renewal next year.

However, EU Commissioner for Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius warned he was taking a “cautious approach” to the review when he visited Ireland last September – while expressing sympathy to the Irish fishing industry for the large burden borne by Ireland as a result of the Brexit deal.

“ I cannot promise we will be reopening the CFP,” he said.

Critical challenges identified in Ireland’s submission to Brussels include: the impact of Brexit; the energy crisis and other emergencies confronting the European seafood sector; food security; climate change; and biodiversity loss.

Other challenges include the drive for increased marine protected area (MPAs); the growth and intended scale of offshore renewable energy (ORE) development; structural aid, and measures necessary to address climate change and associated pressures on the marine environment; and agreements with third countries.

The report takes issue with the fact that the European Commission has “intimated” that it does not intend to introduce any legislative changes to the CFP on this occasion.

It argues that reports compiled by the European Commission as part of the 10- year review cycle in 1992, 2002 and 2012 were accompanied by reforms of the CFP – “including the necessary legislative changes”.

“It is the view of this review group that it is imperative, on this occasion too, that the Commission should introduce some legislative changes on foot of its report,”it says, acknowledging that this will require agreement by the European Council and the European Parliament.

Ireland’s submission says that Brexit and the associated Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) represent “the most important changes to the CFP since its inception”.

It says that the Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries estimates that Ireland contributed 34% by volume and 40% by value of the real economic cost of fish transfers to Britain.

“ The next nearest member state in contribution terms, Germany, contributed just 24% by volume and 21% by value,” it says.

“ In the case of western mackerel alone, Ireland’s sacrifice accounts for 51% of the total Brexit transfers,” it says.

Ireland’s CFP review group contends that the implications of all major policy changes must be accompanied by a “publicly available socio-economic impact assessment”.

“Such measures should be designed to lessen the socioeconomic impact on those who depend on fishing activities, wherever they operate within the EU,”it points out.

It says the data collection regime should be strengthened to ensure adequate data is collected to enable socio economic impact assessments.

It also says that where the relative stability of fishing activities is altered, as has been the case with Brexit, measures should be taken to redress any imbalance through burden sharing.

It identifies measures that can be used to lessen the socio-economic impact of any major changes to the CFP.

These include strengthening the EU’s position in external fisheries agreements and trade deals; facilitated quota swaps; voluntary schemes to redistribute unused quota; and industry schemes to maintain employment and minimise socio economic impacts, it says.

The report recommends that in future negotiations with Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and the UK, the EU must ensure that it; i) receives a fair share of the mackerel TAC, ii) receives an increased share of blue whiting total allowable catch; and iii) reduces any transfer of blue whiting to Norway.

It says Ireland’s Hague Preferences for existing stocks should be revised upwards, and Hague Preferences for additional critical stocks should be introduced to fully redress the imbalance caused by Brexit.

It says that in the case of western mackerel, Ireland’s Hague Preference should be increased by an amount equivalent to that previously available to Britain, in both the North Sea and Western Waters components of this stock.

On the environment and MPAs, it says that the “key tensions between food security and environmental conservation must be addressed” at EU level.

It says elements of the CFP “have the effect of impeding member states’ ability to meet environmental obligations” and should be amended.

It also says the EU should “integrate the scientific information on climate impacts into our collective management of marine resources”.

The 31-page report, commissioned by Ireland’s marine minister Charlie McConalogue, was compiled by a group chaired by former secretary general of the Department of Agriculture John Malone.

The group’s steering committee involved former Marine Institute and Environmental Protection Agency director Micheál Ó Cinnéide and former BIM director Donal Maguire.

It also involved representatives of fish producer organisations, the National Inshore Fisheries Forum, the aquaculture industry, co-ops, the seafood processing industry and representatives of environmental NGOs.

The full report can be viewed here

EU funds to compensate for the impact of Brexit on the fishing industry and other sectors must be spent by the end of December 2023.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) has said there is no flexibility with this - suggesting that money will have to be refunded if it is not spent.

The Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) fund was initiated by the European Commission to provide financial support to EU member states, regions and sectors most affected by Brexit.

It aims to deal with the “adverse economic, social, territorial and, where appropriate, environmental consequences”.

Ireland is the biggest beneficiary of the BAR and the first member state to receive its pre-financing, with staged allocations for a total of €920.4 million.

By mid October, Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue had allocated €224.7 million of the fund on various schemes relating to the seafood sector

The European Commission said that Ireland would receive €361.5 million in 2021, €276.7 million in 2022 and €282.2 million in 2023, and the funding can cover expenses since January 1st 2020.

It said the funding will “help Ireland's economy in mitigating the impact of Brexit, through support to regions and economic sectors, including on job creation and protection, such as short-time work schemes, re-skilling, and training”.

By mid October, Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue had allocated €224.7 million of the fund on various schemes relating to the seafood sector (see list below).

Designated body for managing and deciding on the fund in Ireland is the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), and DAFM said that it is co-ordinating Ireland’s overall policy position on the BAR.

“The eligibility criteria set by the EU to qualify expenditure under the reserve are stringent, and any proposed expenditure must demonstrate a direct link to negative impacts arising from Brexit,” the department said.

It said the BAR expenditure terms are established by the European Union in regulation (EU) 2021/1755, which states that all expenditure funded by the BAR must be carried out within the “defined reference period”, ending on December 31st, 2023.

“The regulation, as confirmed by the relevant authorities in the EU, does not provide for any flexibility in this timing,” the department said.

The seafood sector task force established by McConalogue in March 2020, which signed off its final report in October 2021, recommended a broad range of support measures for the fishing fleet, for inshore fishermen, aquaculture, seafood processors, fisheries cooperatives and coastal communities, the department notes.

“The task force recommended that these initiatives be funded through both the 100% EU funded BAR, and Ireland’s forthcoming EU co-funded Seafood Development Programme 2021-27 under the European Maritime Aquaculture and Fisheries Fund,”it said.

“The minister is examining the recommended schemes with regard to available funds, State Aid rules, eligibility under the BAR and the public spending code,”it said.

“To date, on foot of the taskforce recommendations, the minister has been in a position to announce an unprecedented €224.7 million worth of new support schemes for development and restructuring, so as to ensure a profitable and sustainable fishing fleet and to identify opportunities for jobs and economic activity in coastal communities dependent on fishing,” it said.

It said that details of the different schemes are on www.bim.ie and, in the case of the Brexit Adjustment Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Scheme, on www.gov.ie

The status of the various recommended schemes as of mid October 2022 is:

• Temporary Tie-Up 2021 (recommended by the interim taskforce report) €10m
• Inshore Fisheries Business Model Adjustment Scheme €3.7m
• Inshore Marketing Scheme € 1m
• Brexit Adjustment Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Scheme €35m
• Blue Economy Enterprise Development Scheme €25m
• Seafood Capital Processing Support Scheme €45m
• Temporary Tie-Up 2022 Scheme €24m
• Brexit Co-operative Transition Scheme € 1m
• Brexit Sustainable Aquaculture Growth Scheme €20m
• Voluntary Whitefish Decommissioning Scheme €60m
• Total expenditure of Seafood Taskforce Scheme announcements to date €224.7m

Significant “negative impacts” of Brexit on the British fishing industry have been highlighted in a video released by the British All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fisheries.

Seven of its group’s members outline what a post-Brexit future for the British fishing industry could and should look like and say that the fishing industry was let down by Brexit.

The group’s report, published earlier in the summer, recorded how significant financial losses were a common experience for respondents, with “fears widely expressed for the long-term viability of individual businesses, fishing fleets, and other parts of the industry including processors and transporters”.

"The British fishing industry was let down by Brexit"

“Respondents who fed into the report recommended various actions that the government should now take to support the British fishing industry, which included investing in infrastructure and new markets at home and abroad, and ensuring effective and inclusive management of domestic stocks,” the APPG says.

Tina Barnes of the Seafarer’s Charity, which co-funded the report, spoke about the human costs of economic challenges to the fishing industry following Brexit.

“The negative impacts of Brexit on the livelihoods – and therefore the welfare – of individual fishers has been significant,” she says. The report “provides compelling evidence that action should be taken to support the industry”.

APPG vice chair Alistair Carmichael MP referred to a recent parliamentary debate that he secured on the issue on October 13th last, which “provided an important opportunity for myself and other MPs to emphasise the urgency of supporting the UK fishing industry.”

APPG chair Sheryll Murray MP said that “the strength of the APPG on Fisheries lies in its cross-party nature, with the needs of fishers, coastal communities and other marine stakeholders taking precedence over party politics. This timely video, bringing together voices from several different parties on how to support UK fishing for the benefit of all, provides a fantastic illustration of this.”

Both the video and report can be found on the APPG website, and the video can be viewed is below