Paul Lines told Express.co.uk that Iceland’s change of fortunes following their decision to take back control of their waters shows what a country can do with fishing. Mr Lines added that the fishing industry in Iceland will now account for much more than “half a percent” of GDP, which is the number Britain’s fishing sector is currently thought to be equivalent to in terms of GDP prior to the conclusion of the Brexit transition period.
Mr Lines said: “If you want to see what a country can do with fishing look at Iceland.
“They actually have the exact same shores as what we have got now.
“They had everyone in the world plundering their oceans and they were making very little themselves.
“Well, they turned that round into being a major fish exporter.
READ MORE: EU warning: European fishing to be ‘devastated’ if UK chooses no deal
“I don’t know what part of GDP fish is in Iceland, but I bet you it is a bit more than half a percent.”
The fishing industry in Iceland makes up approximately 7.3 percent of the gross domestic product, according to 2017 estimates from Iceland Responsible Fisheries.
The British fisherman also stated the UK is set to regain its “former greatness” following the completion of the post-Brexit transition period.
Paul Lines told Express.co.uk that during his 45 years as a fisherman he has only seen the demise of the British sector.
“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.”
