The UK moves to nationalize fishing rights in its territorial waters

The British government intends to withdraw from the 1964 London Fisheries Convention and f renationalize fishing in its exclusive economic zone, 6-to-12 nautical miles off the UK’s coastline.

The bill introduced by the Minister of Environment and leading Leave campaigner Michael Gove means that Irish, Dutch, French, German and Belgian trawlers will not be able to fish in British territorial waters. Moreover, the UK rather than the EU will be setting fishing quotas. Gove said this is the first move in "taking back control” of fishing policy.

Both the National Federation of Fishermen and the Scottish Minister for Fisheries are supporting the move.

Although that means that British vessels will lose the right to fish in the exclusive economic zone of France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands, the UK expects this will bring overall benefits to the UK fishing industry. The UK government estimates that EU fishing trawls fish 10,000 tons of fish a year in British territorial waters.