UK to pull out of European fisheries deal
Michael Gove hails move as 'important moment' in taking back control of fishing policy
Britain will today announce plans to withdraw from an international fishing agreement that predates the UK's entry into the EU.
The London fisheries convention allows vessels from five European countries to fish between six and 12 miles from the UK coast.
Brexit "was already going to stop fishing by European boats within 12 to 200 nautical miles of British shores, but this move goes even further in terminating historic rights enjoyed by France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands", says Bloomberg.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the move was an "important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy".
He added: "It means for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters."
The government has not yet said whether it will actually seek to bar European vessels from its territorial waters. "Any access arrangements [are] to be discussed in future fisheries deals," says the Financial Times.
However, while the move has been welcomed by National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, environmentalists have urged caution, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Dr Tom West, a consultant for the environmental law firm ClientEarth, said: "As a country outside the EU we need to consider how we can best co-operate with our neighbours rather than unilaterally withdrawing from all agreements in the hope that standing alone will make us better.
"Many fish stocks in UK waters are shared with our neighbours and so need cooperation and shared management."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Labour shortages: the ‘most urgent problem’ facing the UK economy right now
Speed Read Britain is currently in the grip of an ‘employment crisis’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will the energy war hurt Europe more than Russia?
Speed Read European Commission proposes a total ban on Russian oil
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will Elon Musk manage to take over Twitter?
Speed Read The world’s richest man has launched a hostile takeover bid worth $43bn
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Shoppers urged not to buy into dodgy Black Friday deals
Speed Read Consumer watchdog says better prices can be had on most of the so-called bargain offers
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ryanair: readying for departure from London
Speed Read Plans to delist Ryanair from the London Stock Exchange could spell ‘another blow’ to the ‘dwindling’ London market
By The Week Staff Published
-
Out of fashion: Asos ‘curse’ has struck again
Speed Read Share price tumbles following the departure of CEO Nick Beighton
By The Week Staff Published
-
Universal Music’s blockbuster listing: don’t stop me now…
Speed Read Investors are betting heavily that the ‘boom in music streaming’, which has transformed Universal’s fortunes, ‘still has a long way to go’
By The Week Staff Published
-
EasyJet/Wizz: battle for air supremacy
Speed Read ‘Wizz’s cheeky takeover bid will have come as a blow to the corporate ego’
By The Week Staff Published