The Common Fisheries Policy and the future of the British fishing industry.

One of the most consistent arguments against Britain's continued membership of the European Union is that the EU's Common Fisheries Policy has led to the decline of the once powerful fishing industry but is this actually the case? Upon first glance it seems quite logical to assume that the declining fish quotas would have a major impact on the profitability of the British fishing fleet and arguably it has but one has to look at the full reasoning behind the establishment of the quota. Decades of overfishing across European waters led to a sharp decline in fish stocks raising concerns that within years commercial fishing would be impossible, the establishment of the Common Fisheries Policy and future reforms of the quota system based more accurately on scientific data and a long awaited ban on discards shall go some way to ensuring that the British fishing industry is sustainable and not lost forever because of irresponsible unregulated levels of fishing.

Exclusive Economic Zone of the EU

Does this drive towards sustainability mean that fish will become more expensive in the future? It will mean that we will get less fish from the sea but recent advancements in sustainable fish farms seen across Europe and the wider world show great potential in providing food security, ensuring the protection of native fish stocks and providing employment for the citizens of Europe. The United Kingdom stands at a crossroads, we can either embrace the Common Fisheries Policy and encourage the fishing industry to diversify into the emerging multi-billion market of fish farms or we can continue complaining and slowly lose our share of the market.