More than two fifths of English fishing quotas 'held by foreign businesses'

More than two fifths of England’s quota for the fish it can catch is held by foreign-controlled fishing businesses, according to an investigation by Greenpeace.

The environmental campaign group is urging the government to give more quota to smaller-scale, local fishermen whose activities have a lower impact on the environment, benefiting coastal communities and marine wildlife.

Research by Greenpeace shows that much of the quota allocated to the UK by Brussels under the European Common Fisheries Policy is concentrated in the hands of a small number of industrial fishing companies, many of whom are controlled by foreign firms.

It found that the five largest foreign-controlled vessels hold 32% of the quota managed by English marine authorities, and that 43% was held by foreign-controlled businesses.

Across the UK, five vessels hold a fifth of the fishing quota, and while small-scale fishing vessels make up four-fifths of the fleet, they have just 4% of the quota available for the nation.

The environmental group has joined forces with fishermen whose businesses are sustainable to call on the government to implement reforms of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy.

The reforms require governments to prioritise giving quota to fishing businesses which contribute most to coastal economies and fish with low-impact methods, Greenpeace said.

Kirk Stribling, a small scale fisherman and business owner from Aldeburgh, Suffolk, said: “The government is not giving a fair share of quota to local fishermen who look after the sea and our communities.

“We fish sustainably and seasonally and we benefit our communities by selling our catch to local fishmongers and restaurants; we bring business to local net makers, boat builders and engineering companies and we keep tourism going.

“But instead of giving us the quota we, and our communities, need to survive, the government is choosing to give huge quantities of quota to industrial fishing businesses.

Sarah North, head of oceans campaign at Greenpeace, said: “The government must reclaim our quota from the vice-like grip of big business and give more of it to local low-impact fishers to rebuild fish stocks and revitalise our crumbling coastal communities.

“By implementing the European law, there would be a net gain to the UK’s economy: jobs would be created; the marine environment would be better protected and the UK’s sustainable fishing sector would have a future.”