The UK leaving the European Union without a withdrawal deal could lead to lawlessness at sea with serious consequences for fisheries and marine life, the environmental organisation Oceana warns.
The UK Fisheries Bill, which would replace the Common Fisheries Policy, will not get through parliament in time before 29 March, meaning that no fisheries law would be in place in UK waters.
There is also no agreement yet as to which boats would be allowed in British waters and vice versa. Furthermore, neither the UK nor the EU will have access to each other’s vessel monitoring systems, which could lead to illegal fishing going unnoticed and compromise efforts to rebuild fish stocks.
“We don’t want to see all the efforts by the UK and EU to make fisheries more sustainable go to waste, putting the future of seafood and jobs on the line," said Pascale Moehrle, executive director for Oceana in Europe.
"With a no-deal Brexit, fishing could become a free-for-all with nobody to be held accountable. No withdrawal agreement puts UK fish stocks at risk."
“If we crash out of the EU, we could create anarchy at sea as the Fisheries Bill has stalled in parliament," added Melissa Moore, head of UK policy, Oceana.
"In addition, there is no agreement on who can fish where. This could lead to more clashes between UK and continental fishermen and illegal fishing will increase. We need time for the bill to receive proper parliamentary scrutiny and to be made fit for the 21st century," she said.
