SIR – We keep hearing that the standard of debate about the forthcoming referendum is poor on both sides. I beg to differ.
I originally felt that it was probably best for the UK to remain in the EU. However, having read and listened to the arguments put forward by, among others, Lord Owen, John Redwood and Roger Bootle, I feel that the case for leaving is compelling. Conversely, listening to increasingly hysterical and vacuous arguments aired by those wishing to remain has led me to the conclusion that there is not one positive reason to do so.
Brian Roberts
Torquay, Devon
SIR – On Question Time last week, Liz Truss, the Environment Secretary, claimed that the EU was responsible for stopping dead fish being dumped overboard from trawlers. She neglected to say that EU law was responsible for this wasteful and stupid practice in the first place.
Now this policy has been dumped, let us also dump the EU.
Terry Reilly
Burgess Hill, West Sussex
SIR – James Bartholomew does not give the full picture when he says that European fishing policy is damaging the UK industry.
Most fish do not respect national boundaries. Mackerel, herring and cod all swim in the North, Celtic and Irish seas that the UK shares with other countries. Wherever you see national fisheries policies, you find overfishing and the collapse of stocks.
The EU Common Fisheries Policy aims to ensure that a common resource can be shared among fishing nations. It protects stocks by limiting to scientifically sustainable levels the total amount that can be caught.
Each country has a quota based on its historical share of catching a particular species. How quotas are distributed within a national industry is up to the relevant government, not the EU. All fishing nations have exclusive rights within a 12-mile limit of their shores. The zone from there up to 200 miles is open to all EU fishermen, subject to agreed levels, because the mobility of fish in EU waters makes them a shared resource.
Brussels policies are not perfect. But they are producing successes. Cod populations have recovered so well that they may next year become sustainable again. The UK industry, meanwhile, goes from strength to strength, earning the biggest profits in the EU, and enjoying increasing quotas. A fifth of fish caught by British vessels are landed in other EU countries’ ports. The UK also has a big say in policy.
Neither the Remain nor Leave side has spelt out its vision of the future of British fisheries. The industry, fishing communities and people who care about the sea deserve to know more.
Maria Damanaki
Global Managing Director, Oceans, The Nature Conservancy
Former EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
London W8
