‘Slavish’ catch limits ignored scientific advice, say fishers in case against Defra | Fishing industry

At the beginning of 2024, said Jerry Percy, who led the New Fishermen under the ten hunters dedicated to small boats, that he started receiving many calls from members. He said: “They were calling my office to report that the lack of fish in the internal lands was putting their livelihoods in danger.”

The fishermen said they noticed the exhaustion of species such as Pollack, and they were usually arrested from the coast of Britain.

Percy, who is now retired, along with his organization, blames “decisions to manage poor fish fisheries” of the UK government with the climate crisis for the populated fish residents near the beach. “We have lost a quarter of the Inshore fleet since 2012, we have been the previous person.”

This was what pushed Persie and others to join activists outside the Supreme Court in London this week, where Blue Marin had an institution, a charity for maritime conservation, It brought a case challenging the governmentIt is a decision, as he claims, contradicts scientific advice when determining the boundaries of fishing after Britain leaves the European Union.

Its case has argued that the non -sustainable administration of fish residents by the Ministry of Environment, food Rural affairs (Defra) were irresponsible and risky of sustaining fish stocks and ways of living fishermen.

“By continuing to allow exploitation above the sustainable limits of many species, the government not only exposes fish groups at risk, but all that it responds to, including marine ecosystems and the fishing industry itself,” said Charles Clover, co -founder of the Blue Marine Foundation.

The case against Defra focused on setting fishing quotas or fishing limits for the year 2024, which was taken by the previous government in December 2023. It took a year to come to the court.

Every year, the UK, the European Union and Norway are negotiating the hunting boundaries of the common commercial fish species for the next year. They are recommended by an independent scientific body for sustainable. In December 2023, this agreement resulted in a share of 54 % of fish groups that are allocated at higher levels of scientific advice.

“I am not sure that the audience knows that what is going on is that it is allowed to shares after the other to fall over the scientific advice year after year to maintain the fleet hunting instead of taking appropriate memorization measures,” said Klofer. “We cannot believe this is consistent with the law.”

The Blue Marine Foundation said that Defra acted in the opposite Obligations after Britain left the European Union To protect the marine environment in Britain and the fishing industry.

when The government submitted a fisheries law 2020, the first legislation of local fisheries in nearly four decades, said it would create a “global” system to manage the “best available science” to ensure the health of fish and sustainable columns.

Under a joint fish fisheries statement, a condition of the Fisheries Act, the government has set eight goals to manage fish groups, including sustainability, protecting ecosystems, reducing fishing hunting and using scientific advice.

In a written submission to the court on Wednesday, David Wolf K. The court was asked to announce the fraud in illegal fishing quotas “in order to inform this process in the future.”

DEFRA denied brilliantly and said that she had taken into account “all relevant factors” when determining the classes. In a written presentation, Nid Westway told Dafra that the claim should be rejected because he was “dependent on misunderstanding” and “ignoring the broader international and organizational context to determine the chances of fishing.”

He said that the officials “were looking at the scientific advice and giving it a suitable weight.”

The session concluded, before Mrs. Justice Lang, on Wednesday, although it is not expected immediately.

Martin Yorrath, Fisher from Newhavin, had two boats, one less than 10 (meters) and a 14 -meter -long track, at the Supreme Court steps this week. He, like many hunters, feels nervous about what the judge will conclude. This condition is a final opportunity to get equality with the Inshore fleet. We hope to be managed by Blue Marine Win and that fish stocks are more sustainable for fishing and fishing communities throughout the United Kingdom. “