Paul Lines told Express.co.uk the UK could supply half of Europe’s fish demand following the completion of the post-Brexit transition period. Mr Lines stated Brexit will be a failure if it does not result in the rebuilding of the fishing industry and a surge in employment in the sector.
Mr Lines said: “You want the raw material to cut up and sell and if we are clever there is a lot of money to be made.
“We could supply half of the fish that Europe needs.
“Instead of their own boats catching it we could be the catchers and suppliers of it, that is our marketplace.
“Fishermen are the ones that will lose out, processers won’t as that raw material will come from anywhere.
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“The Dutch, French and Belgian fishing industries have had 40 years of growth, through grant injection and opportunities.”
He continued: “We have had 40 years of demise, Brexit has got to turn the tables on that demise.
“We have got to rebuild the industry and create 12,000 jobs around Great Britain in fishing.
“It is as simple as that and if it does not happen for us Brexit will have been a complete failure.”
“I have seen quotas fall to the point where we have got one vessel left.
“What we have got left we struggle to get a living from.”
He added: “We gave it all away to be part of Europe, now we want it back.
“We want to see their boats cut up, we want to see their new modern fleet gone because we want that.
“As a country we have got to have that, if we are going to survive on our own, we have got to have everything that we can bring to play to make money.”
