David Levy – At every corner – Apr 17

The Brexit vote was an urgent call for politicians to realise that the public are sick to the stomach with meaningless centralised platitudes.

The failure to understand what people around the country were truly feeling was revealed by the Government and Ministries which had no plan for a post-Brexit UK.

It is clear that these same Ministries are not in tune with change, and they will steer as close to previous bureaucracy as they can negotiate. That they are not taking the opportunity to promote real change is as clear as it is disappointing.

When certain marine environments are over-exploited, and the management systems are abused with little enforcement to deliver either safe practice or forward-thinking management for fish food security, the prospects for genuine change are clearly limited.

These marine environments are made so by fishing companies who threaten the Government through the “property rights” they now hold on the UK quota which they have bought, and this UK quota now resides with foreign firms who operate UK registered — repeat, UK registered — ships/boats.

Everything that exists in the UK System has evolved from centralised government control which has taken the quota away from regional under 10 metre boats and left them with only 4% of the quota, with the balance of 96% in the hands of business operating within Europe, including control by these businesses of where our fish catch is landed and marketed.

At every corner of marine management our observation, which has evaluated experiences from around the UK, has found not one example of marine management that places conservation ahead of business exploitation.

When questioned by us the CEO of the Government Agency, the Marine Management Organisation, stated that his brief to his staff was, “where practicable, facilitate business”. The same cannot be said for conservation.

As a rule, we can state that growth trumps management of resources (sic).

Unless the powers that be in UK Marine Management turn a corner, and plan how they can deliver a future for all marine resources accompanied by enforcement to make it a reality, then Brexit will become a growth industry until resources collapse.

 


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