But Stewart Harper, managing director of the North Atlantic Fishing Company, the English subsidiary of the Dutch firm which owns the Cornelis Vrolijk, insisted there is no British market for the low-value fish he is selling abroad.
He added: ‘Although we are part of a Dutch-owned European group we operate two offices in the UK and we provide work for 55 British fishermen domiciled in the UK and eight people in our offices and have an annual wage bill in excess of £2million. We pay UK corporation tax on any profits we make and all of the other costs of UK establishment.’
A Defra spokesman said: ‘We value our local inshore fishing communities - in 2014 we increased their potential catch by 720 tonnes and continue to take steps to maximise use of the UK’s quota.
‘Any company applying to fish our quota must demonstrate a clear economic link to this country and all large UK flagged vessels, the great majority of which are UK crewed, make their catches in offshore waters that cannot be reached by local inshore fishermen.
‘We are currently working with devolved administrations on reviewing the economic value of all UK flagged vessels to ensure we get best value for our economy.’
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2821284/EU-lets-one-Dutch-ship-net-QUARTER-England-s-fishing-quota-Holland-holds-23-permits.html#ixzz4DpHqyPPnFollow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Small British fishing vessels make up 80 per cent of the English fleet - but have just 4 per cent of the quota.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2821284/EU-lets-one-Dutch-ship-net-QUARTER-England-s-fishing-quota-Holland-holds-23-permits.html#ixzz4DpINIlFqFollow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
When the vessel returns to port, cranes hoist the massive catch from the huge boat and dump it, box after box, on the dockside. This isn’t small fry. Its latest 2,500-ton catch was worth about £500,000.
As I watched this process a few days ago, there was no doubt I was observing an impressive example of industrialised fishing.
Beside me, lorries lined up to take away piles of packed fish. Each took 26-ton cargos, destined to end up in the markets and shops of Egypt, Nigeria and Japan. ‘None of it goes to Europe,’ said one driver.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2854348/One-Dutch-trawler-gets-quarter-England-s-entire-fish-quota-English-fishermen-allowed-two-crates-worth-50.html#ixzz4DpMKFi6nFollow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Crucially, when Britain negotiated entry to Europe, it won a poor deal that allowed French fleets, for instance, to take a far larger slice of stocks in the Channel.
Moreover, small-scale vessels – those under ten metres (30ft) in length – did not have to record landings at the time.
So although making up more than three-quarters of the British fishing fleet, they were belatedly given just four per cent of the national quota.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2854348/One-Dutch-trawler-gets-quarter-England-s-entire-fish-quota-English-fishermen-allowed-two-crates-worth-50.html#ixzz4DpMey9guFollow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Erm, yes, SMALL fishing boats. However, the UK has 13% of the EU sea space, but has 30% of the quota.
How are these small businesses going to survive?