Symbol caption Some Of the fishing boats in Portavogie Harbour
Westminster MPs were on a fact-finding tour of a County Down fishing port.
Members of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee visited Portavogie.
The committee is operating an inquiry into fishing after Brexit here.
They met fishermen and processors to discuss the possibilities and challenges thrown up through the depart determination. Later, they took evidence from boat owners and industry figures.
Symbol caption MPs take heed to proprietor of a prawn boat at Portavogie
Greater Than 1,SEVEN HUNDRED folks in Northern Ireland are employed in fishing and processing paintings.
Image caption Portavogie is home to bigger vessels in addition as smaller ones that paintings inshore waters
Harry Wick, who represents round 150 trawlers, mentioned 70% of the Irish Sea falls in UNITED KINGDOM waters but UK fishermen had been handiest allowed to trap 30% of the cod there.
He mentioned it was “not unreasonable” to be expecting UNITED KINGDOM fishermen may trap 70% of the fish.
Mr Wick said that there will be negotiation over future access for EU 27 fleets to UK waters and mentioned there’ll ECU waters that Northern Ireland fishermen will need to be able to use.
That contains waters off the Irish Republic.
Symbol caption Fishermen’s representative Harry Wick is helping MPs off a Portavogie trawler
the uk fishing business will proceed to be matter to the principles of the common Fisheries Coverage until December 2020 if a transition is agreed.
The different large issue raised with politicians was the difficulty securing crew.
Trawlers right here depend on non-EUROPEAN nationals including from Ghana, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
Symbol caption Crewing is a big issue for some boat house owners
But that suggests they should fish outside of UK territorial waters beyond the 12-mile limit.
Fishermen have said the inflexible interpretation of the foundations signifies that even in winter, while it’s more secure for them to fish in the direction of shore, they have got to undertaking farther out to conform with the principles.
