Fri Oct 08, 2021 8:46 am
#1875372
Going back to "does anyone have a scoobie"....
My family has been involved in and around the fishing industry for many generations. We've owned fishing boats, built them, repaired them, fuelled them, bought and sold fish, and a few actually went to sea and fished. I am the last generation that will have anything to do with fish.
However, the whole vessel licencing and catch quota system has ended up both overly complex, restrictive and corrupt. That is both under the UK and the EU. I've tried, but still don't fully understand how it works. If somebody can justify why Manchester United Football Club can own UK fishing quota as an investment product, and then lease it to the highest bidder, do have a go. Much of UK quota is now in the hands of foreign operators.
But, back to the "B" event. UK fishermen are angry and feel sold down the river as the licencing and quotas didn't immediately all come back under UK control. The French are angry, because some of it did! (and more will, year on year). The EU states don't monitor landings caught, which is where the over fishing now stems from.
The trouble is, it is an emotional subject in fishing towns/familes, but on a national scale, it is a tiny part of the economy.
I could ramble on, but oddly enough, I have to go see a fisherman this morning. He needs a bigger boat, but if he buys a bigger boat he can't catch any fish because they won't let him transfer his quota!
My family has been involved in and around the fishing industry for many generations. We've owned fishing boats, built them, repaired them, fuelled them, bought and sold fish, and a few actually went to sea and fished. I am the last generation that will have anything to do with fish.
However, the whole vessel licencing and catch quota system has ended up both overly complex, restrictive and corrupt. That is both under the UK and the EU. I've tried, but still don't fully understand how it works. If somebody can justify why Manchester United Football Club can own UK fishing quota as an investment product, and then lease it to the highest bidder, do have a go. Much of UK quota is now in the hands of foreign operators.
But, back to the "B" event. UK fishermen are angry and feel sold down the river as the licencing and quotas didn't immediately all come back under UK control. The French are angry, because some of it did! (and more will, year on year). The EU states don't monitor landings caught, which is where the over fishing now stems from.
The trouble is, it is an emotional subject in fishing towns/familes, but on a national scale, it is a tiny part of the economy.
I could ramble on, but oddly enough, I have to go see a fisherman this morning. He needs a bigger boat, but if he buys a bigger boat he can't catch any fish because they won't let him transfer his quota!
The quickest way to fall out with people is, discuss politics.