Is there something fishy going on in Cornwall?

HAVING lived in Cornwall for more than 50 years, I know a little about the lack of fish on sale. The problem is the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which started when Edward Heath gave away our fishing waters (making them a ‘common European resource’) as a bribe to the then Common Market to allow us to join. Since then, EU countries have bought up a large chunk of our fish quotas — already ridiculously small — by buying our trawlers to use as a flag of convenience. The remainder of our sad little catch comes ashore at Cornish ports, where it provides a meagre living for our fishermen. Local buyers have to compete with richer buyers from up-country. The reason the local fish and chip shop buys its fish from London is, apparently, that cod caught in warmer south-western waters isn’t as good as cod caught in colder northern waters. When I lived in the South of France, the shell fish in the markets was often from the UK. It is no wonder that Cornwall voted heavily to leave the EU, so as to be able to recover our fishing heritage for ourselves.

P. MAHER, Dursley, Glos.

as a Cornish resident, I refute the utter nonsense written by John Oliver (Letters), which states that you can’t get British shellfish in Cornwall. I can walk to a number of cafes from my house and buy a simple crab sandwich or a full lobster salad, all caught in my local bay that morning. I can also dine on world-renowned Porthilly oysters or Porthilly mussels. The lobster hatchery in Padstow ensures a plentiful supply for us as well as for France and spain. Every fish and chip shop I know sources its fish from Newlyn in Cornwall on a daily basis. a ‘culinary desert’? I think not. I can walk to the only two Michelin-starred seafood restaurant in the world, with a one Michelinstar seafood tapas restaurant nearby. Padstow has Rick stein, Paul ainsworth and the critically acclaimed Prawn On The Lawn.

JON ROBERTS, Port Isaac, Cornwall.