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After the agreement between the EU and Great Britain, the accusations of British fishermen do not want to silence. They received only a fraction of the fishing rights that Prime Minister Johnson promised them.
British fishermen feel betrayed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. “Boris Johnson promised us the rights to all the fish that swim in our exclusive economic zone, but we only get a fraction,” said the head of the National Federation of Fisheries Organizations (NFFO), Andrew Locker, on BBC Radio 4. “I’m angry, disappointed and feel betrayed. “
“Many are much worse”
Johnson had promised that no fisherman would be worse off. But now there are “a considerable number” who are much worse off than before the deal.
When the UK was still a member of the EU, fishermen could have traded with the community. “We traded in things we didn’t need for fish we didn’t need. And that allowed us to come up with an annual plan,” Locker said. Now British fishermen would have to fight hard to maintain their livelihood.
Over the weekend, other representatives of the fishing industry had voiced criticism of the deals in the British media. The Guardian reported that the president of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organizations, Barrie Deas, said his industry had been betrayed to win a big deal. Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon also said promises made to her country’s fishing industry have been broken.
State Minister Michael Gove disagreed. Britain will be in a much stronger position than the EU, Gove told the BBC. Under the EU Common Fisheries Policy, British fishermen would only have access to 50 per cent of the fish in British waters. That number will now increase to two-thirds by 2026, Gove said. The country will invest in the fleet and infrastructure and can further increase its share.
Fishing: a sticking point in negotiations
Fishing plays only a minor role for the British economy, but it was symbolically heavily imposed by Britain and France on the EU side and one of the most difficult points in the Brexit trade pact negotiations.
In the end, London made concessions. European fishermen initially only have to give up a quarter of their catch quotas, over a period of five and a half years. Starting in June 2026, annual negotiations on catch quotas will take place. A permanent 80 percent cut was requested. If London later restricts access for foreign fishermen, Brussels could respond with tariffs.
