Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
One of the key arguments repeated time and again by Brexit supporters is the idea that Britain will ‘take back control of our waters’. The notion that the UK could run a completely different national policy, increase its catch by reserving all rights to fish in the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to UK fishers, is a far cry from the reality of migratory fish and depleting fish stocks.
The EP fisheries committee today voted to give a mandate to its negotiating team to start negotiations with the Council on the next European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
Last night, UKIP MEP Mike Hookem made a somewhat outrageous, disgraceful speech and immediately left the chamber. This was my response.
Update on the EU rules concerning sea bass fishing for anglers, following action by Labour MEPs.
Earlier this week, a video emerged of French fishers attacking UK vessels harvesting scallops in the Bay of Seine. Could this clash be indicative of disputes that Brexit may bring to the fishing industry?
Speaking in the Fisheries committee of the European Parliament on the leaked government white paper for its post-Brexit fisheries policy. They cannot deliver what was promised during the referendum campaign.
The Falklands and other overseas territories will be affected if we leave the EU. They were overlooked during the debate and Falkland Islanders weren’t even given a vote in the referendum. It’s time we started talking about what’s at stake.
This week, the European Parliament will be voting on a proposal which could lift the current strict limits on electric pulse fishing, and allow many more vessels to adopt the practice. Labour MEPs will oppose this proposal and support a ban on this practice.
In the background information section of its account of the 34th annual meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), the Commission reports that NASCO’s role is ‘to make sure that mixed-stock fisheries at sea do not target the stocks with the lowest rate of return.’
Has the Commission verified whether the UK has fulfilled its responsibilities under Article 18(1) of Regulation (EU) 1379/2013 of 11 December 2013?
In March 2015, a 3-bass bag limit was imposed on recreational fishermen. Further restrictions introduced this year stipulated no retention of bass during the first half of the year, and only one bass per day in the second half of the year.
Michael Gove claims that leaving the London convention will allow UK fisheries to be a more competitive, more profitable, and more sustainable industry, but is no stranger to fishy hyperbole when it comes to Brexit and this industry.
The electorate rejected May’s approach to Brexit. But as a result of losing her majority, she has now made an alliance with the DUP. Uncertainty reigns. There is no majority in Parliament for a hard Brexit, but what is there a majority for?
Visiting several businesses in Grimsby last week to talk with senior managers and employees in the ports, fisheries and seafood processing industries, I was struck by one thing. Business does not like uncertainty. And Brexit makes for very uncertain times.
The difficulties that face the fisheries and related industries and communities in the upcoming Brexit negotiations have been at best underestimated, and at worst deliberately misrepresented by those insisting it is simply a matter of ‘taking back our waters’.
UPDATE 1/11/2016 Since this event, the European Commission have published a proposal for bass management measures in 2017. If adopted, only recreational fisheries and commercial hook and line will be allowed to target Northern Sea Bass, though there is still no move to introduce a plan for Southern Bass. The European Anglers Association commented: “We […]
Richard Corbett, Member of the European Parliament representing Yorkshire and the Humber, joined Grimsby MP Melanie Onn on a tour of Grimsby’s finest fishing businesses on Monday 23 June. Richard Corbett is a member of the European Parliament’s fisheries committee, which monitors and examines current European legislation and proposes changes to the Common Fisheries Policy […]
66% of our seafood exports go to EU countries.
Can the permission granted for limited scallop dredging taking place in one section of Cardigan Bay (a Special Area of Conservation) be extended to another part of the same SAC and remain compatible with the Habitats Directive?
I respond to Nigel Farage on the issue of sea bass fishing.
Fisheries policy has always had a great impact not just on those who fish commercially, but also those who fish for fun. And the contribution the latter make to our economy is vast: in Europe’s north-western coastal communities, including Britain, more than €100 million a year is spent on recreational sea bass fishing alone. Indeed, […]
Question A new study by Oceana has again highlighted the seriousness of consumer fraud in the labelling of fish in the EU. The study has pointed out that in Brussels in particular, the ‘error’ labelling average is 31.8% (95% in the case of bluefin tuna). Oceana had already reported in 2013 that 33% of the […]
Question What more can be done to ensure that European ships do not participate in illegal fishing activities outside the EU through the use of ‘flags of convenience’? What can be done to prevent such European ships from participating in illegal fishing activities on the Somalian coast, and what is being done to ensure that […]
I recently wrote about whaling by Faroese people, after a constituent from Millie Hall in East Yorkshire brought the subject to my attention. The Faroe islands (being outside the EU) not only have an exemption from the rules agreed by all EU countries banning whaling, but they also have secured exemptions from the Convention on […]
Question Given that recreational fishing is now included in the common fisheries policy through both the control regulations and the TAC/quota regulations (specifically through the new minimum conservation reference sizes and the bag limit for sea bass), does the Commission therefore believe that the scope of Article 17 of the common fisheries policy should extend […]
During the much needed recent reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (reform which even Greenpeace hailed as a great success), several British businesses made the case that more sustainable fishing practices ensure the viability of their industries. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s now-famous ‘Fish Fight‘ campaign against the wasteful practice of discarding fish at sea was a […]
Question Does Denmark (or do Danish citizens) have any legal obligation under EC law or under the Berne Convention to refrain from participating in, or helping in any way, the killing of cetaceans, and is there any legal obligation on the 86% of the people of the Faroe Island who have chosen to hold a […]
Question According to a report by Fairfood International, published on 8 April 2015 and not yet refuted, shrimp farms in Asia are employing labour at well below real wages (EUR 8 per worker per day) and under unacceptable labour conditions according to EU standards (60 hours per week). According to the report, shrimp produced under […]
Question Does the Commission regard Fmsy as an upper limit for fishing mortality as laid down in the common fisheries policy, Article 2.2 and the UN Fish Stock Agreement? If so, can the Commission then justify why the ICES was requested to provide plausible values ‘around’ Fmsy for stocks in the North Sea, in contradiction […]
Question How many visits (over the last five years) has DG MARE conducted, at the level of senior or junior officials, to meet with fishers’ organisations or practitioners in Member States and their regions, in order to consult on and explain the 2013 Common Fisheries Policy reform, and how many such organisations or practitioners have […]
This clip is a contribution I made to the positive vote in plenary on the Baltic multi-annual plan — a key implementation of the newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy. Since this MAP marks the first of the new style plans, it sets important precedents for others to come, namely the upcoming North Sea plan. I’m […]
The European Commission has today waved a yellow card at Thailand for not taking sufficient measures to fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). The card follows an initial denouncement from the European Commission in 2011 and now marks the opening of a formal dialogue with the Thai authorities to ensure corrective measures are […]
I am very pleased that during this week’s Fisheries Committee, the European Commission announced emergency measures to alleviate the threat to the conservation of ‘poisson d’avril’ in Europe. What this means in practice is that during the key spawning period for the species this year, starting on 1st April, it will be prohibited to exploit […]
Back in January, I welcomed emergency measures taken to protect sea bass during the crucial spawning season. But the fact that we had to resort to reactive emergency measures also served as a reminder that we need real, long-term, preemptive, evidence-based policy-making for sea bass fishing. That’s why, this week, the European Parliament voted in […]
When we talk about the impact of fisheries policy in Europe, it’s natural for us to automatically think of the influence it has on smaller scale fishing in our coastal towns, or the huge trawlers that head out into the deep sea. It’s important to remember, though, that fisheries policy also has a great impact […]
Question What is the Commission’s view on electric fishing by Dutch trawlers inside North Sea special areas of conservation, particularly the Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton SAC and the North Norfolk SAC? Does it agree that such activity is in breach of Article 6 of the Habitats Directive? Answer The effects of fishing with trawls towed […]
It’s been four years since Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall kicked off his now famous ‘Fish Fight‘ campaign against the wasteful practice of discarding fish at sea. With the backing of nearly a million Brits and thanks to a firm position of Labour’s MEPs in the European Parliament, the reformed Common Fisheries Policy was finalised last year, hailed […]
Yorkshire MEP Richard Corbett will spend a day in Grimsby this week to learn first-hand about the challenges facing the fishing industry. Following European elections in May, Mr Corbett is now a member of the influential Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament. The committee is highly significant in shaping EU fisheries policy. It has been […]
Question What systemic plan has the Commission put in place for ex-post evaluation of the 2013 reform of the common fisheries policy? Answer Under Article 49 of the regulation on the common fisheries policy, the Commission is obliged to report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the functioning of the Common Fisheries […]