THE view that Scotland’s fishermen are among the most committed of Brexiters in the land is well established. It is promoted by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), as the only way to reclaim their fishing grounds from other European fleets.
But there are many among those who sail out from local communities around the Scottish coast every day, who not only don’t agree, but are very nervous about post-Brexit prospects.
Not least are those small boats with crews of one or two, who lay creels on the seabed. They are after langoustine, crabs and lobster, with the vast bulk heading to restaurants in France, Spain, Italy and Belgium.
This high-value trade could be hit hard by the imposition of any Brexit tariffs, according to Alistair Sinclair, 63, a creel fishermen. He and his 8.1m boat Guess Again are based in Furnace on the shores of Loch Fyne. He said there were about 1,200 boats working in the inshore waters with creels or divers.
He said: “About 80 or 90 per cent of our catch heads to the continent right away in lorries with salt water tanks on board to keep it alive. That’s what sets us apart from any other product that comes from the sea. That’s why we get a far higher price.”
He said that could be up to five times what those trawling for prawns could get, for example.
But to him it is not about protecting or reclaiming areas of sea. “Brexit shouldn’t affect us in that way because the sea out to six miles is a devolved matter anyway. Marine Scotland is already in charge of the area where we operate. But any tariff at all could clearly impact on our margins and profitability. Demand is growing. Asia is opening up to us, as are the Americas. But we just don’t know how Brexit will affect that.”
He said it wasn’t just about tariffs. If Brexit meant it took longer to get their lorries across the English Channel, that could be another problem.
But there is something more. As things stood Europe provided important official recognition of creel fishing’s environmental credentials in the second part of the Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy.
He said: “So if we are leaving Europe we will probably lose Article 17’s clear justification for what we do. We don’t want that to disappear from the mindset of the Scottish Government.”
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