EU nations to catch fish before they reach British waters if the UK blocks access for trawlers after Brexit
An EU diplomat told The Sun many species could be caught at a younger age in response to a complete ban
EUROPEAN nations are hatching plans to start landing fish before they reach British waters if the UK tries to block access for EU trawlers after Brexit.
An EU diplomat told The Sun many species could be caught at a younger age in response to a complete ban.
Valuable fish such as mackerel and herring move between EU coastal areas and the North Sea during breeding and migration.
Ministers have promised to reclaim Britain’s entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), stretching up to 200 miles from our coast, when we leave.
And EU nations’ plans will enrage many Leavers who put quitting the bloc’s controversial fishing quotas at the heart of the Brexit campaign.
An EU diplomat said: “Those who have said they want to take back control of British waters forget that you can have the water, but we’re not talking about water we’re talking about fish.
“The fish don’t have passports. Some of these fish could be fished earlier when they’re smaller, so they won’t ever get to British waters. That might not be good for everyone.”
The diplomat predicted a “difficult discussion” with British ministers over the issue and conceded London won’t like what it hears from Brussels.
“We’re not blind to the fact that what we say may not square with the expectations for what the UK Government can negotiate.
“But this is a common challenge. There’s a reason why we manage our stocks together.”
However sources said EU environmental law, which protects fish below a certain size for conservation reasons, could restrict how much EU trawler men are able to intercept.
And smaller fish often can’t be sold for human consumption, meaning they have to be used for less valuable products like fishmeal and fish oil.
Ex Ukip leader Nigel Farage stormed: “We surrendered our fishing waters in 1972. It was an act of betrayal that the Brexit Vote put right.
“The only foreign vessels fishing in British waters should pay us for the privilege and operate under our rules.
“Regarding any other scenario they can go jump.”
Skipper Alan Hastings, from the campaign group Fishing for Leave, said Britain has the “whole weight” of international law behind it and accused the EU of “whistling in the wind”.
He said: “The EU has spent years lecturing everyone on environmental sustainability and now they’re advocating unsustainable fishing.
“Now they’re proposing this just to stick two fingers up at the British. It’s really coming down to the EU looking childish here.
“We lost our resources and 60 per cent of the British fleet got the chop to make room for them. Now the EU is going to have to cut its cloth.”
And Tory MP Neil Parish, chair of the Commons’ environment, food and rural affairs committee, warned Brussels: “The negotiations for Britain to leave the EU will include an agreement.
“This agreement must be beneficial for both sides. However, I do want to see British fishermen benefiting from leaving the Common Fisheries Policy.”
EU27 diplomats discussed fishing at a meeting on Tuesday and agreed to target continued access to UK waters as a top priority.
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Member States will call for “continued reciprocal access” with Britain as part of a bilateral agreement tied to the wider post-Brexit trade deal.
And they also developed plans to relocate the North Sea Advisory Council, which advises the EU on policy, from its base in Aberdeen to the continent.
The UK and EU are currently at loggerheads over whether the UK has to remain in the controversial Common Fisheries Policy during a two-year transition.