'Ridiculous' that UK will not sign fishing treaty A treaty trying to reduce the number of deaths in the commercial fishing industry comes into force today, however Britain have not signed it. Mike Park, chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association, told the Today programme that he expects Britain to have "sound reasons" for not signing the treaty, but he "can't imagine what they are." An estimated 24,000 lives are lost each year in the industry, and Mr Park described having to save lives on his vessel whilst working as a fishing captain, including two-air lift rescues in his career.