British fishermen rage as French boats break Brexit settlement – ‘On our knees’ | UK | News | EUROtoday

Angry fishermen are calling for pressing motion over an ongoing downside – and one MP has shared a photograph displaying ‘11 French fishing vessels inside the 12-mile limit’ final week. The ongoing situation affecting business fishermen is reaching a boiling level, as many are simply attempting to ‘do a day’s work’ and are competing with larger non-local trawlers across the British coast.

Fishermen are fuming, and Liberal Democrat MP Rachel Gilmour (for Tiverton and Minehead) desires to see rapid intervention on the 12-mile restrict for European fishing boats rule because it continues to go “unacknowledged by the regulators”. Also referred to as the territorial restrict, the 12-mile rule means international fishing vessels mustn’t function inside this space. However, MP Rachel Gilmour has spoken of a ‘never-ending’ presence of European vessels in these zones – and she or he’s reported the difficulty to the UK Government, enclosing a screenshot of international vessels inside the restrict.

Importantly, many fishermen angered by this ongoing dilemma have identified that they’re working from inshore U15 boats, that are business fishing vessels beneath 15 metres in general size.

Inshore fishermen, utilizing smaller boats (and typically rod and line versus nets)argue that their fishing strategies are extra sustainable. If a fish is undersized, they ‘throw it back’.

Many have mentioned ‘bad fisheries management’ will not be contemplating the ‘real problems’ dealing with British fishermen, and ‘vessels outside of the UK are using smaller mesh nets to catch as much as they can without any thought to sustainability’, one Devon fisherman mentioned.

MP Rachel Gilmour additionally highlighted that non-local vessels could also be ‘catching non-quota species’ that are the ‘mainstay of the fishery in the South West and have been for a long time for the inshore fleet’.

The Lib Dem MP introduced this to the eye of then fisheries minister Daniel Zeichner in her current letter, which addresses considerations over the shortage of regulation of international fishing vessels having a major detrimental impact on the power of the inshore fishing fleet to outlive.

The letter states that ‘fishermen (in Minehead, Somerset) have advised me that these foreign boats have been working the same area for about a fortnight now, gradually increasing in numbers as the days go on’.

It comes after Keir Starmer was accused of ‘promoting out’ fishing after an settlement was introduced (in May 2025), giving EU fishermen assured entry to UK waters till 2038.

The deal, a part of a post-Brexit commerce negotiation, left UK fishermen livid because it means an extra 12 years entry to UK seas for the EU fleet, nevertheless, the 12-mile restrict ought to nonetheless be adhered to inside the settlement.

Cornish fisherman Jack Baker agreed, he mentioned: “Get EU boats outside the 12 miles to start with, all inshore boats under 15 metres want to just bring back 40 years ago, when you could just go out and do a day’s work and land everything you catch.

“There were no quotas then and no Vessel Monitoring System. I don’t mind the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) checking the boat over, but just standard safety is enough – these measures would get the industry back off its knees.”

Another native mentioned it’s time to “actually stand up for our fishermen and women and stop giving all our fish quotas away to foreign vessels”, including that “moving foreign boats” out to at the very least the 12-mile restrict can be a superb begin.

Retired fisherwoman Sarah Ready labored within the business for 35 years – and now she is ‘fighting for fishing coastal communities off the Minehead coastline’.

She mentioned: “There are two issues, the waste of millions of pounds on the Inshore Vessel Monitoring System (I-VMS) roll out – and the real problem, unmonitored foreign fishing vessels in UK waters.”

Part of MP Rachel Gilmour’s letter to Fisheries Minister Daniel Zeichner reads: “Our British coastal communities will continue to decline, and the UK’s ability to sustain its fishing industry will be irreparably damaged – unless there’s immediate intervention.”

In April 2025, the UK Government introduced that ‘UK fishers demonstrating environmental, social, and economic benefits from quota will be awarded additional quota.’

At the time, then Fisheries Minister Daniel Zeichner mentioned: “I’m delighted to see the expanded Quota Application Mechanism rewarding fishers who demonstrate clear commitments to sustainability.

“By allocating quota based on environmental, social, and economic criteria, we’re charting a new course for UK fisheries that balances conservation with economic prosperity. It’s a vital step towards building a sustainable and profitable fishing industry, as part of our Plan for Change.”

But, UK fishermen and business professionals would little doubt increase the query of how bigger international trawlers not adhering to a quota – and fishing inside the 12-mile restrict – helps with marine sustainability.

Government information reviews that the variety of UK fishing vessels has ‘reduced by 52% over the past three decades, from over 11 thousand vessels to approximately 5.5 thousand’.

These statistics additionally highlighted that almost all of UK fishing boats, roughly 79% of the UK fleet, are represented by vessels beneath 10 metres in size, of which 49% are administered in England.