Industry leaders warn ministers over Brexit. Representatives from the fishing industry which has a rich heritage across the east coast, are meeting Ministers to tell them what they should be aiming for during Brexit negotiations, according to a recent ITV article.
They’ve warned the Prime Minister and her Government that they ”wouldn’t be forgiven’ if the fishing industry was betrayed at what its leaders have described as a ‘moment of opportunity’.
Lynn Shellfish employs 75 workers and has a multi-million pound turnover. The business which has been family run since it was established in the 1960s exports 95% of its product to the EU and the rest of the world.
The fishermen who work out of King’s Lynn Docks for the company say there are too many EU rules and regulations which are holding them back.
“You have good times and you have bad times, my worst week was £25 and the paper work involved there is a lot more stress, you are going away for 36 hours and then you get a long list of paper work, filling in E-logs that don’t work because they’re electronic. You work on a steel boat where there is a lot of water, it’s going to get damp and doesn’t work. It’s just endless, every year there is something else.”
– James Castleton, Skipper
“Would you be happy if the EU took away 37% of your income, would you be happy if you had a tag put on your ankle just so you could go to work, would you be happy if you were forced to do things a fisherman shouldn’t have to do, these guys are fishermen, not secretaries It’s all EU regulations, all against the fishing industry in the UK, why should we put up with it.”
– Steven Williamson, Managing Director of Lynn Shellfish
Many of the fishermen at King’s Lynn have at times struggled to earn a decent wage, with some having to take second jobs as labourers to make ends meet.
“There aren’t any young ones coming into it because there isn’t really much of a future for them, that’s just sad really, there aren’t any young fishermen. if you lose a crew or something like that you can’t replace them, because none of them want to do it.”
– John Poll, Fisherman for 28 years
“We’re getting more grounds taken away from us by the EU restrictions for silly things like seabed disturbance, which I find strange because the natural wave motion does enough damage anyway, we’ve been doing this for god knows how many Centuries, what’s changed?”
– Andrew Ashton, Fisherman for 30 years
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