News Date: Friday 14th January 2005
Loughton: Supports new proposals for radical fishing policy
Conservatives pledge to restore national and local control over fishing
Tim Loughton MP for East Worthing and Shoreham added his backing to the new proposals to address the disastrous environmental and economic effects of the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy. Conservatives have launched a 'Green Paper' outlining the Party's ideas for the future of the UK's fishing industry, based on lessons observed from successful fishing policies throughout the world, such as Canada, US, Iceland, Norway and the Faroes.
The essence of the policy is national and local management and control. National government will set the strategic framework in which the priorities will be the restoration of the marine environment and rebuilding the fishing industry; new local bodies will take day-to-day responsibility for managing their fisheries.
Loughton explained:
'The CFP has been a biological, environmental, economic and social disaster. It forces fishermen to throw back more fish dead into the sea than they land, it has caused substantial degradation of the marine environment, it has destroyed much of the fishing industry, with compulsory scrapping of modern vessels, and has devastated fishing communities.
'Fisheries cannot be managed successfully on a continental scale; they need local control. Only the people of West Sussex are best placed to understand the needs of their local marine environment and to guarantee sustainable local fish stocks.
'We are consulting on ways to restore national and local control to our fishing industry and also protect the marine environment. I would like the views of local residents and fishermen across coastal West Sussex on how we can achieve this.'
The policy is based on the following principles:
' Effort control based on 'days at sea' instead of fixed quotas.
' A ban on discarding commercial species.
' Permanent closed areas for conservation.
' Provision for temporary closures of fisheries.
' Promotion of selective gear and technical controls.
' Rigorous definition of minimum commercial sizes.
' A ban on industrial fishing.
' A prohibition of production subsidies.
' Zoning of fisheries.
' Registration of fishing vessels, skippers and senior crew members.
' Measures to promote profitability rather than volume.
' Effective and fair enforcement.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The consultation paper was published on 10 January and is available online at:
http://www.conservatives.com/pdf/fishinggreenpaper.pdf (PDF file).
The Green Paper is being circulated to thousands of fishermen and other interested parties, including recreational fishermen.
The policy honours the Conservative Party commitment to small government. We believe that we should tackle issues on an international basis only when justified and at a national level only when this is appropriate. Otherwise, we believe that decisions should be made locally, closest to the people most affected by them.
Although we would encourage all devolved administrations to co-ordinate policies and management systems, in Scotland, the Executive will take overall responsibility for fisheries policy and will be responsible for developing its management systems. It will also make its own decisions on delegation of powers.
The details set out in this document apply only to England and Wales, except where otherwise indicated and to Northern Ireland. In respect of Northern Ireland, we would of course follow through the political process and extend to the Province devolved powers in line with the more general devolution of powers.
