Boris Johnson was able to secure a Brexit trade deal last last month after years of arduous UK-EU negotiations. He said after the deal came into place on January 1 that the UK will now control its borders, laws and fishing waters – but the latter has become a subject of fierce debate. Multiple bodies representing British fishermen have hit out at the deal, claiming the UK hasn’t gained enough control over its waters. In the deal, it has been agreed that EU boats will have continued access to UK waters.
UK fishing boats will get a larger share of fish, as 25 percent of EU boats’ fishing rights in UK waters will be transferred to the British fleet over a period of five years.
After that, there will be annual negotiations to decide how the catch is shared out between the UK and EU, and Britain would have the right to completely exclude EU boats after 2026
But the EU could respond with taxes on exports of British fish to the EU or by denying UK boats access to EU waters.
Just after the deal had been agreed last month, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisation Barrie Deas accused Mr Johnson of having “bottled it” on fishing quotas.
Jim Portus, who has represented Devon and Cornish fishing interests for 33 years, claimed the deal meant the UK was essentially “still tied to EU apron strings”.
He added: “I’m at the end of my working life but he [Johnson] made promises directly to fishermen and I am very disappointed for them. We should be rebuilding our fleet, encouraging our youngsters. We should be planning for a resurgence instead of being sold down the river again.”
This week, fishermen from across the UK are protesting in London as Brexit impacts exports of fish and seafoods into Europe.
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Meanwhile, across the English Channel French fishermen have expressed their relief at getting a trade deal with the UK.
Olivier Lepretre, president of the fishing committee for the northern Hauts-de-France region, told AFP earlier this month: “It’s a huge relief for fishermen — It’s a win-win deal.
“We’re going to lose some of our quotas, which is annoying but it’s not a death knell.”
Mr Lepetre’s colleague, Stephane Pinto, told France 3 television: “The biggest worry for fishermen in Hauts-de-France, as well as the entire sector, was that we would no longer have access to British waters. That is no longer the case.”
