AS the recent Brexit Party leaflet pointed out, there is deep unrest in the UK about EU fisheries policy. What is remarkable is that no-one has actually made it clear what they would do instead!
International events have shown that unrestricted fishing is disastrous for fish stocks. The once plentiful tuna in the Mediterranean are gone, as are the herring and sardine in our home waters. Control over catches is helping restore stocks of cod and haddock.
Removal of constraints will result in a short-term bonanza followed by long-term misery. Enforcing restricted access to UK waters will only detract our navy and water police from the vital tasks of addressing more serious crimes, as those who remember the huge expense of sending naval vessels to defend our fishing rights in Iceland will testify.
Many EU institutions are far from perfect, but when looking to replace them in a post-Brexit Britain please make sure we don’t throw the baby out with the batch water.
Pete Rowberry
Duns
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