Fishermen ‘abandoned’ over Norway cod

FISHERMEN have accused the Government of abandoning them after it announced last night it had failed to reach a deal with Norway on cod.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it had put forward a “fair offer” on access to UK waters and the exchange of fishing quotas but had been unable to reach an agreement for 2021.

The drawn-out negotiations with Norway have left the Kirkella, the last long-distance trawler in the North East, stuck in Hull.

The boat, responsible for catching about eight per cent of the fish used by Britain’s fish-and-chip shops, will no longer have access to Arctic cod in Norway’s sub-arctic waters this year.

UK Fisheries, which owns the £52million vessel, warned the move had left hundreds of crew and other workers facing unemployment.

The company had highlighted that Norway awarding the EU a quota of just 10,000 tons meant the UK had the opportunity to secure access to 25,000.

Jane Sandell, its chief executive, said: “We are struggling to understand how a government that made such brave promises for fishing in the post-brexit era can nonchalantly stand by and watch a centuries-old industry fail for what we can only guess are ideological reasons. George Eustice [the Environment Secretary] owes our crews and the Humberside region an explanation as to why Defra was unable even to maintain the rights we have had to fish Norwegian waters for decades, never mind land the boasts of a ‘Brexit Bonus’.”

Last night Whitehall sources argued that the UK had put forward “very reasonable” proposals, which would have ensured that Norway continued to benefit from access to UK waters in an exchange of quotas. Ministers are now preparing to work with the industry to explore options to mitigate the impact.

Defra said: “Norway is a key partner and we will continue to work with them over the course of the year.”