The government’s promises of radical reforms to help the industry take back control of UK waters and increase quota shares, while minimising trade impacts, are ‘starkly at odds’ with the reality of what has been achieved, says their report.
Despite government statements that Brexit would result in hundreds of thousands of tonnes of extra catch for UK fishermen, the report calculates that the increase will only reach 107,000t per year, or 12.4% by value for all species, by 2025.
Additionally, UK fisheries management continues in a state of interdependence with EU legislation; significant EU access to UK waters remains, including in the 6-12nm zone; and new regulations and logistical barriers brought in by the Brexit TCA mean that exporting seafood costs more and takes longer, say the researchers.
