Fishermen in the United Kingdom say the industry is on a trajectory to lose around £64m a year unless changes are secured through future talks.
A new report has cast doubt over government promises that fishing fleets would benefit to the tune of tens of millions of pounds from Brexit.
Jane Sandell, from UK Fisheries, which operates Hull’s distant water trawler Kirkella, said failed post-Brexit negotiations have left them significantly down on what they’d been able to catch previously.
“Ultimately we were sold nonsense, and people have invested on the back of that nonsense.”
The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations believe the opportunities of Brexit were squandered in a trade deal last year.
It says, as a result, the industry is set to lose up to £300m by 2026, but the government does not recognise that figure.
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said the UK has greater shares of fishing quota, and that the total value of UK-EU fishing opportunities is around £333m this year – an increase of £27 million on last year.
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https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2021-10-05/fisherman-say-industry-could-lose-64m-a-year-if-changes-are-not-made