Morning! I’m back to talk about yet another new @ukandeu report. This time, it’s about 🐟 And it deserves pride of plaice on your bookshelf 😉 ukandeu.ac.uk/wp-content/upl…
Let me start by thanking @csbarnard24 @law_rich @BD_Stew @matt_bevington @gwcarpenter @johnconnolly747 @ArnovanderZwet1 and @Jillongovt who wrote, edited, then re-edited the thing 
Economically, the catching sector accounts for only around 0.1% of UK GVA – less than the processing sector in terms of both GVA and employment. The number of fishers has fallen since the 1960 though fishing profits are at their highest since records began.
The industry is very unevenly distributed around the UK. Most fishing activity takes place in Scotland. 60% of total fish landed happens in Scotland. NE Scotland sees the most valuable landings. Fishing is also more significant in NI than in England
The political salience of the sector outweighs its econ import. Concentrated in rel deprived coastal communities, workers have low financial resilience. And of course there is a cultural resonance as well. A Mackerel replaces Churchill on the Scottish £5 note
About 80% of UK fish landings are exported while 70% of the seafood we eat is imported in ‘the great fish swap’ Even if we took all the cod caught in the N Sea it would not be enough for us. Also, 80% of the seafood in UK is purchased prepackaged.
Fishing is not economically that significant in the EU either, but EU fishers are heavily reliant on the n-e Atlantic, including British waters. Like in the UK, the political importance of the sector outweighs its economic value.
When it comes to the negots, Fisheries is one of the areas where the EU has less leverage. Most EU fish comes from the north-east Atlantic, and a large proportion from UK waters, and fishing industries in some key countries would suffer if they lost access after Brexit
Despite what PD says, hard to see agreement by 1 July. UK wants discrete agreement on fish, the EU wants it to be part of the broader partnership. EU wants a permanent framework, UK wants annual negots. EU wants status quo for quotas UK wants more quota.
Many UK fishers, particularly in Scotland, will benefit from additional fishing rights if the UK gets its way. But others risk losing access to EU markets if there is no wider trade deal. The EU has said an agreement on fish is a precondition of that deal.
If the UK and the EU fail to reach a deal by the end of the year they would be bound by international law - the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Even this requires cooperation and efforts to agree rules on access to waters.
When the UK leaves the common fisheries policy, the four nations of the UK will have to agree how to manage the UK fisheries in the future. This could lead to further tensions between the UK government and the devolved governments.
That's me fin-ished. Though you should download and read the report for yourselves. Boat loads of fun.... ukandeu.ac.uk/wp-content/upl…
