𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Britain’s fishermen work in one of the country’s most dangerous and poorly paid trades and have been “sold out” by Labour, according to the authors of a new report which calls for radical measures to rescue livelihoods. There were great hopes that Brexit would unlock a new era of prosperity for Britain’s fishing communities but last year Sir Keir Starmer agreed to grant EU vessels reciprocal access to the UK’s fishing waters until 2038.

The Adam Smith Institute warns: “Brexit gave Britain a once-in-a-generation chance to take back control of its waters. Ten years on, Britain’s fishing industry is instead being hollowed out.”

It states that Britain’s “fishermen remain some of the country’s lowest earners, even as our coastal waters are systematically overfished” and claims “EU vessels also unfairly benefit from British conservation efforts, leaving UK fishermen to do the hard work while losing out on the returns”.

The think tank wants to rescue the industry by granting individual fishermen permanent rights to catch a share of the total allowable catch of a given species of fish in perpetuity. These rights could be “freely traded, sold, or leased within a domestic market without encumbrance”, giving small boat owners a “secure asset they can borrow against, sell or pass down”. The ASI says this would be the “first time small-scale fishermen were granted permanent rights to the stocks they fish”.

It does not want EU vessels to catch even more fish in UK waters if conservation efforts result in recovery of stocks. The authors of the new report call for the UK to receive a “fixed tonnage” rather than a percentage of the quota so “when British conservation efforts cause stock health to improve, the EU’s share would be proportionally diluted”.

The ASI argues that giving fishing quotas to all fishermen and not just the largest operators is a chance to “finally give British fishermen the opportunities they were promised in the 2016 EU Referendum, restoring the lifeblood of our coastal communities”.

John Cooper, Conservative MP for Dumfries and Galloway said: “These policies have been tried and tested before. When New Zealand implemented something similar, their fish stocks became some of the most sustainable in the world, whilst their fishermen enjoyed safer employment in a more efficient industry. We can have this too. Our fishermen and the communities from which they are drawn deserve better, and all those who agree should pay close attention to this paper and its challenging and innovative ideas.”

Max Bannerman, a Reform UK MSP for the Highlands and Islands said: “Scotland lands the lion’s share of Britain’s fishing catch but was handed only a fraction of UK Government investment. Fishing communities in the north of Scotland have been shortchanged in favour of European fleets with a bad deal that was struck over their heads. It’s clear that Labour is not the fishermen’s friend. ASI’s report is right that any recovery in our waters must give priority to Scottish boats, and that our smaller vessels deserve a permanent, inheritable stake at long last.”

James Hodgkinson of the ASI said the fishing industry was “sold out” through a “lack of structural reform, and poor negotiations”.

He added: “Our fishing industry cannot remain an afterthought. By introducing true property rights, a fluid fish stock market, and vital protections for small-scale operators, we can restore sovereignty to British waters and allow our coastal communities to boom once again”.

Fellow report author Mitchell Palmer, an economist with the ASI, said: “Britain’s fishermen are under-paid, while Britain’s fishing stocks are over-fished. The two should not be possible at the same time. By learning the lessons of New Zealand’s successful system, post-Brexit Britain can deliver a system that works for both fish stocks and fishermen.”

A spokesperson for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “We are working hard to support our vital fishing industry, having sought the best possible deals for UK fishers in 2026, whilst ensuring that catch limits are set sustainably. Our investment of £360million will provide long-term and sustainable support and we are also monitoring the impacts of rising fuel costs closely – all fishing vessels have been able to pay zero duty on red diesel for years and this will continue.”

Mike Cohen, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, did not support the ASI’s proposals.

He said: “The problem with making fish quota a tradable commodity is that – like anything valuable – it will tend to get bought up by whoever has the deepest pockets. Making sure that small fishing businesses can stay viable and independent is why they have access to a free pool of quota that can’t be bought and sold. We never fully catch that pool quota, so this isn’t what is holding them back. In fact, most of the fish and shellfish they catch aren’t managed through quotas at all. If you wanted to really help British fishermen, the first step would be to take control over who fishes within our territorial waters, so that we can better protect stocks and give our inshore fishing businesses room to grow. Sadly, the Government has already given away access for another 12 years.”

Mr Cohen called for fishing to be given “higher priority in marine planning – not always putting it in distant third place behind wind farms and conservation areas”.