Scott Mann has welcomed the Government's announcement that it will today start the ball rolling to take back control of Britain's fishing waters as promised by the Conservative Party at the recent General Election.
In what will be seen as a historic move, the Government will today give notice to withdraw from the London Fisheries Convention.
Signed in 1964 before the UK joined the European Union, the Convention allows vessels from five European countries to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of the UK’s coastline. It sits alongside the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which allows all European vessels access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK and sets quotas for how much fish each nation can catch.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:
"Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy. It means for the first time in more than fifty years we will be able to decide who can access our waters.
"This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union – one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK."
As announced in the Queen’s Speech, the Government will introduce a Fisheries Bill to control access to the UK’s waters and set fishing quotas once we have left the EU. This is supplemented by the decision to leave the London Fisheries Convention.
Working closely with European neighbours, the Government will design a new fishing policy which allows the fishing industry and coastal communities to thrive, in line with our international obligations, as we build a deep and special partnership with the European Union after Brexit.
Welcoming the news, Scott Mann said:
"I've seen the damage that has been done to our Cornish fishing industry by losing control of our fishing waters, and it was one of the main reasons why I voted to leave the EU.
"Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is the first step to taking back control of our fishing waters, and as promised at the General Election by the Conservatives, we will be leaving the Convention, leaving the CFP and introducing a Fisheries Bill to implement a better and fairer system for our fishermen."
