Brexit would help fishing industry, says majority

A majority of the public believes that the amount of fish caught by UK boats in their own waters should be increased when the country leaves the EU.

In a Yougov poll commissioned by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), 63.5 per cent of voters who expressed an opinion said they believed quotas should be increased for UK vessels.

The SFF said that, under the common fisheries policy, vessels are restricted to 40 per cent of the annual catch and the remaining 60 per cent is taken by other countries.

Voters also ranked fisheries as the UK economic sector most likely to benefit from Brexit. David Duguid, Scottish Conservative MP for Banff and Buchan, said: “People across the UK recognise the huge opportunity that Brexit presents for our fishing industry.”