According to the UK Independence Party website UKIP will try to achieve the following if they gain power at the 2010 general election:
Restoring British waters and fishing to national control by leaving the European Union Common Fisheries Policy.
Abandoning all quotas and strictly forbidding ‘discards’.
In co-operation with scientists and working fishermen, introducing technical measures and net design to be more selective, allowing immature fish and nontargeted species to escape.
Requiring all commercial species fish caught, regardless of size or species, to be landed and recorded in order to compile meaningful figures to establish a Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and to plan accordingly.
Establishing Minimum Landing Sizes (MLS) for all commercial species and ensuring that only fish above the MLS are offered for sale. All undersized fish to be confiscated and processed into either fish meal or fertiliser, proceeds from the sale of which will go towards administrative costs.
Establishing a system of moveable ‘No Take Zones’ seasonally to allow fish to spawn, or in areas considered to be overfished to allow recovery.
Banning all forms of ‘industrial’ fishing and pair trawling for bass. Restricting beam trawling to areas considered suitable by working fishermen and scientists.
Licensing foreign fishing boats with a proven record of fishing in the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone to continue for a transition period of, say, five years, provided they observe British rules. Licences would not be offered to foreign boats in receipt of EU subsidy and foreign boats would not be licensed to fish in UK territorial waters (12-mile limit). After the transition period, licences would only be issued to foreign boats if fish stocks exceeded of British boats’ catch capability in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Building artificial reefs.
Encouraging profitable mariculture (fish farms), particularly encouraging shellfish farm ventures in suitable inshore waters.
Establishing a Fisheries College and a Crew Training school and conducting properly structured training programmes
Taking advice from Norway and Iceland to establish a Fishing Ministry to overseeing a Fishing Management Agency and co-ordinating the activities of the existing Sea Fisheries Committees (SFCs), who would become the ‘front line’ of sustainable management of our fish stocks .
Strengthening the fishery protection service and providing adequate Naval ships to effect distant water patrols (minesweepers in a dual role).
I would be interested to hear both positive and negative views on UK Independence Party’s Fishing policies in the comments below?