Originally Posted by
Bread
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Hang on ... don't panic Mr Mainwairing
The UK Fisheries bill was rejected earlier this week at report stage as "our chums in the other place" wish to include some amendments. Nothing unusual in that, after all they are a revisory board, but our recent Brexit history has got the general public flaring their nostrils and clenching their fists at the smallest possibility of another betrayal by the over-paid, over-expensed do-nothings with big wigs.
Well, things may not be as they seem
I read the Lords amendments from the 22nd and from what I understand, the Lords actually want conservation of our fish stocks and sustainability to go even further than what the government has planned.
Apart from the many corrections to the name for the Welsh Government, here are some of the highlights
1. Favouring boats up to 10m in length
2. Increased landing in UK ports
3. Increase in number of protected zones, which I interpret as no-take zones
4. Prevention of the transfer if fishing "rights" to other parties
5. Quota allocations to be done "periodically" rather than "annually" - so it
could be that we see quotas by season and a no-take period of fishing altogether
6. Sustainability to benefit future generations
... amongst other things.
I personally think this is a great step in the right direction, because, as we "take back control" of our territorial waters, it's important to get it right at the start, not through amendment after amendment and bit by bit.
I'm sure incentives such as fishing apprenticeships will become available around coastal communities soon and special arrangement for funding etc. Add to that the prospect of free-ports then I think the long decline of our coastal towns, tourism and investments in the northern coastlines into Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can at last start to grasp the low hanging fruits that were always to be had from Brexit.
Here are the amendments if you wish to read them yourselves.
https://services.parliament.uk/bills...fisheries.html