Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) chief executive Bertie Armstrong has insisted that exiting the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the only way forward for the industry.
In a message to politicians ahead of the UK General Election next week, he said fishermen simply would not agree to anything which takes them back into a system that deprives them of 60% of the catch.
He said: “It’s been a while since fishing mattered so much in a UK General Election. That’s because we are coming out of the EU and while most people are aware that Brexit is a big deal for fishing, they are perhaps not sure why.”
“Actually it’s easy to understand, and with polling just days away, every politician and everyone in or connected with the fishing industry and its communities needs to know what is at stake.”
He said that aside what anyone may have thought of the value of EU membership, the specific component of the CFP was bad news for the industry.
Specifically he said because the conditions were accepted on entry in 1973. These oblige us to give away annually some 60% of our fish and shellfish resource.
“That’s a hell of a ticket price, paid up every year since. But we’re leaving and we simply cannot agree to anything that takes us back to that,” he added.
