LONDON (Reuters) – Britain dug in its heels overfishing in Brexit negotiations with the European Union, demanding an end to what its environment minister cast as an unfair system of EU fishing in its waters.
Britain wants “zonal attachment” to agree a total allowable catch for the United Kingdom’s waters – a step that would give it a much larger quota share than if the fish maths were worked out on the EU’s proposals.
“All we’re asking for … is there to be annual negotiations based on the science and also for there to be a move towards a fairer, more scientific sharing methodology which is called zonal attachment which is broadly where the fish are to be found,” Environment Secretary George Eustice told BBC radio.
“Under that analysis, we currently only have access to about half of the fish in our own waters, that is profoundly unfair on our fishermen, we’ve been clear throughout that needs to change.”
Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton
