Brexit

Newlyn, Cornwall’s biggest fish market, attracts some 1,000 tonnes of megrim, a flat fish, annually, reports the BBC, almost all of which is exported mostly to Spain. However, more bureaucracy for British traders and the introduction of border controls since Brexit have disrupted exports of fish to the continent including that of megrim. As a result, the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO), in a bid to encourage British consumers to eat more megrim, is planning to rebrand the fish to Cornish sole. Another species, spider crab, that faces the same challenges, will be renamed Cornish king crab. The decision to rename the products was taken after consulting with chefs and consumers.

Icelandic shipping companies, Eimskip and Samskip, now transport fresh fish to Rotterdam rather than Immingham,…

The Spanish Fisheries Confederation, CEPESCA, has requested the Spanish government to ensure the European Union defends its interests, primarily allowing the Spanish fleet to access the UK waters of the UK and, secondly, to maintain reciprocal access to markets. The Spanish fleet catches around 29,000 tonnes in the Northeast Atlantic of which 9 000 tonnes are caught in UK waters primarily hake, megrim and monkfish worth around €27m. Although these catches only account for 1% of total Spanish catches and far from, for example, Sweden’s 60%, they are essential for shipowners from Galicia, Asturia and Cantabria. Currently, the 88 Spanish-flagged vessels that can fish in the UK waters employ 2,150 crew members and generate around 10,750 indirect jobs.

An estimated 33% of the European fishing fleet catches are fished in British waters. The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists on Britain “maintaining control of these UK fishing waters” after it leaves the EU, he said in his first meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who took office in December. The two are discussing the negotiations after Brexit, on January 31, with Johnson wanting a trade deal with the EU completed by the end of 2020 without Britain aligning with EU rules. He said the UK wanted “a broad free-trade agreement covering goods and services and co-operation in other areas”. With regards to fishing rights the two sides have committed to negotiating a new framework in place by 1 July although EU spokespersons believe that talks will go deep into the year due to its complexities.

Should Brexit come to pass, Danish fishermen might find themselves in a tricky situation. If Britain leaves the EU and Denmark loses access to British waters the Danish fishing fleet will lose 30 percent, or about 1 billion Kroner, of total annual income, according to a report from the Department of food and Resource Economics at the University of Copenhagen.  Brexit could have the most negative impact on larger fishing corporations, which would end up losing 61 percent of total income. The Danish government is working towards a scenario in which the Danish fishing fleet will have access to British waters even if the UK leaves the EU. A recent deal between the Faroe Islands and the UK may set a positive president for trade relations between the UK and the rest of Europe in a post Brexit EU.

A Scottish fish processor says many jobs are at risk because of the employment security uncertainties with the current Brexit agreement. The managing director of one of the largest family-owned seafood processors in Europe says many workers, although EU citizens, are not British nationals, and their right to employment in Scotland after Brexit is uncertain. With a shortage of Scottish and other British citizens willing to work with seafood, he says fish processing companies like his may face pressure if they are forced to discharge current workers. Scottish workers have attractive alternatives in the oil and gas sector, for example, and fish processors must often rely on immigrant labour supply. The rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK is an important area of concern in Brexit negotiations, but it has not been fully clarified.

Fishermen in Northern Ireland (NI) are troubled by EU demands to allow EU vessels full access to UK fishing waters following Brexit.…

According to a new report, Brexit can cost Danish jobs and have large consequences for a number of Danish fishing ports.…