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The government is to end an arrangement that allows other countries to fish in UK waters, it has been announced.

The convention allows Irish, Dutch, French, German and Belgian vessels to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of UK coastline.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the move would help take back control of fishing access to UK waters.

The European Commission said it "took note" but felt the convention had been superseded by EU law.

Ireland's minister for agriculture, food and the marine, Michael Creed, however, said it was "unwelcome and unhelpful".

"Brexit poses very serious challenges to the seafood sector and this announcement will form part of the negotiations," he said.

The Scottish government backed the idea, saying it had been pressing for it "for some time".

The London Fisheries Convention sits alongside the EU Common Fisheries Policy, which allows all European Union countries access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK and sets quotas for how much fish nations can catch.

The relationship between the UK and Ireland is further governed by a separate arrangement.

'Historic step'

Withdrawing from the convention, which was signed in 1964 before the UK joined what became the EU, means UK vessels will also lose the right to fish in waters six to 12 nautical miles offshore of the other countries.

What happens to the 12 to 200 mile area will be one of the issues at stake in Brexit negotiations.

Michael Gove told the BBC's Andrew Marr the change was about "taking back control" of UK waters, 6-12 miles from the coast.

When the UK left the EU it would become an "independent coastal state", he said.

He said the EU's common fisheries policy had been an environmental disaster and the government wanted to change that, upon Brexit, to ensure sustainable fish stocks in future.

But the SNP's Richard Lochhead, who held the post of fisheries minister in Scotland until last year, has concerns around fishing being used as a "bargaining chip" by the government, which would "let down UK fishermen".

"Michael Gove is doing his best to get maximum publicity out of the easy bit," he told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend. "But the difficult, complex bit is still to come [with] the Common Fisheries Policy.

UKIP's fisheries spokesman Mike Hookem also said he feared another "wholesale betrayal" without assurances about the 200-mile zone.

"Fishing communities across Britain voted to leave the EU to get back the rights to earn a living, support their communities and to stop the EU plundering our seas of fish that the UK could exploit economically," he said.

He added that the announcement was "no victory for the fishing community" and was instead a "government attempt to use smoke and mirrors to placate British fishermen, while at the same time having the option of handing most our fishing rights to the EU".

Inshore boost

Government figures say fishing contributed £604m to UK GDP in 2015 and employed around 12,000 fishers. In 2016, the fish processing industry supported around 18,000 jobs.

The industry's body, the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, welcomed the decision.

Chief executive Barrie Deas said: "This is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone."

Its chairman Mike Cohen said a 12-mile exclusive zone for UK boats would be "a good thing" for the UK's inshore fishing fleet.

'Aggressive tactic'

Will McCallum, Greenpeace UK head of oceans, said leaving the convention would not in itself deliver a better future for the UK fishing industry, and that for years governments had blamed the EU for their "failure" to support the small-scale, sustainable fishers.

He said, for example, that the UK had had the power since 2013 to decide how to allocate its EU fishing quota but that a report by Greenpeace in 2016 had found almost two thirds of that quota was concentrated in the hands of three companies.

He said the UK would also still be bound by the UN convention of the law of the seas - which requires cooperation with neighbours.

But Mr McCallum said he was "excited" that the government was making fishing a priority, after fearing fishing communities would end up "at the bottom of the heap" amidst complex Brexit negotiations.

Environmental law firm ClientEarth consultant Dr Tom West said the move appeared to be an aggressive negotiating tactic.

"As a country outside the EU we need to consider how we can best co-operate with our neighbours, rather than unilaterally withdrawing from all agreements in the hope that standing alone will make us better."</s>The UK government is to withdraw from an agreement which allows foreign fisherman access to British waters.

It has announced it will begin the process of leaving the London Fisheries Convention, giving two years notice of its intention.

Signed in 1964, it allows vessels from six European countries to fish between six and 12 miles from the coast.

UK environment secretary Michael Gove said it was an important step in "taking back control" of fishing.

British vessels will lose the right to fish in waters belonging to the other countries which signed the convention: France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Mr Gove said: "Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy.

"It means for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters.

"This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union - one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK."

The EU Common Fisheries Policy allows, in addition to the London convention, vessels from all EU countries to fish beyond the 12-mile limit.

He said: "This is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone."

Environmental campaigners have expressed caution about the regulation of fishing once the UK leaves the current international framework.

Will McCallum, Greenpeace UK head of oceans, said: "For years, successive UK governments have blamed Brussels for their own failure to support the small-scale, sustainable fishers who are the backbone of our fishing fleet.

"If Brexit is to herald a better future for our fishers, the new Environment Secretary Michael Gove must keep the 2015 Conservative Party manifesto commitment to re-balance fishing quotas in favour of 'small-scale, specific locally based fishing communities'."

The Scottish government supports the principle of leaving the London convention.

Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing said: "The UK government's decision to withdraw from the London Fisheries Convention is a move we have been pressing for some time now.

"Our priority is to protect our fishing industry and allowing unrestricted access to our waters to remain through this convention clearly would not be doing that."

He added: "The Scottish government will always stand up for our fishing industry, which too often has been let down by the UK government."</s>The UK’s pulling out of an agreement that allows Ireland to fish in British waters.

Withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention, which was signed in 1964 before the UK joined the EU, will take two years.

Under the deal, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands can fish within 6 and 12 nautical miles of the coastline.

Although not surprised by the decision, Donegal Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher says it is deeply disappointing:</s>The Government is withdrawing the UK from an arrangement that allows foreign countries to fish in British waters, it has announced.

Ministers will trigger withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention, signed in 1964 before the UK joined the European Union, to start the two-year process to leave the agreement.

The convention allows vessels from France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of the UK's coastline.

It sits alongside the EU Common Fisheries Policy which allows all European countries access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK and sets quotas for how much fish nations can catch.

Ministers claimed the move would help take back control of fishing access to UK waters, as it will no longer be bound by existing access agreements, and enable the country to become fully responsible for fisheries management.

UK vessels will also lose the right to fish in the waters six to 12 nautical miles offshore of the other countries.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: "Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy.

"It means for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters.

"This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union - one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK."

Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, said: "This is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone."

The UK fishing industry was made up of more than 6,000 vessels in 2015, landing 708,000 tonnes of fish worth £775 million.

Some 10,000 tonnes of fish was caught by other countries under the convention, worth an estimated £17 million.

Will McCallum, Greenpeace UK head of oceans, warned that pulling out of the London Convention would not alone deliver a better future for the UK fishing industry.

"For years, successive UK governments have blamed Brussels for their own failure to support the small-scale, sustainable fishers who are the backbone of our fishing fleet," he said.

"If Brexit is to herald a better future for our fishers, the new Environment Secretary Michael Gove must keep the 2015 Conservative Party manifesto commitment to re-balance fishing quotas in favour of 'small-scale, specific locally-based fishingcommunities'."

Environmental law firm ClientEarth consultant Dr Tom West said the move appeared to be an aggressive negotiating tactic.

"As a country outside the EU we need to consider how we can best co-operate with our neighbours rather than unilaterally withdrawing from all agreements in the hope that standing alone will make us better.

"Many fish stocks in UK waters are shared with our neighbours and so need co-operation and shared management."

He also warned of the need to put in place strong laws to protect marine wildlife, or there was a risk the UK would row back on hard-won environmental protection over the last 40 years.

Ben Stafford, head of campaigns at WWF, said: "Achieving sustainable fishing is about a lot more than which country fishes where.

"It is about ensuring that fishermen use the right fishing gear, that fishing takes place at levels that maintain sustainable stocks and that we pioneer ways to monitor what is happening at sea in order to understand the impacts of fishing.

"Leaving the EU means we could get these things right, but we will still need to co-operate with our neighbours, as fish do not recognise lines on a map."

Scotland's Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing said: "The UK Government's decision to withdraw from the London Fisheries Convention is a move we have been pressing for some time now.

"Our priority is to protect our fishing industry and allowing unrestricted access to our waters to remain through this convention clearly would not be doing that.

"We cannot rely on the UK Government to do that, having regularly put the interests offishing communities elsewhere in the UK ahead of those in Scotland.

"It is vital therefore that all powers over policy be repatriated to Scotland and current EU funding for fisheries be matched and transferred to Scotland in full."

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Looking for an older story? Search our archives</s>The Government is withdrawing the UK from an arrangement that allows foreign countries to fish in British waters, it has announced.

Ministers will trigger withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention, signed in 1964 before the UK joined the European Union, to start the two-year process to leave the agreement.

The convention allows vessels from France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of the UK’s coastline.

It sits alongside the EU Common Fisheries Policy which allows all European countries access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK and sets quotas for how much fish nations can catch.

Ministers claimed the move would help take back control of fishing access to UK waters, as it will no longer be bound by existing access agreements, and enable the country to become fully responsible for fisheries management.

UK vessels will also lose the right to fish in the waters six to 12 nautical miles offshore of the other countries.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: “Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy. It means for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters.

“This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union - one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK.”

Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, said: “This is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone.”

The UK fishing industry was made up of more than 6,000 vessels in 2015, landing 708,000 tonnes of fish worth £775 million.

Some 10,000 tonnes of fish was caught by other countries under the convention, worth an estimated £17 million.

Will McCallum, Greenpeace UK head of oceans, warned that pulling out of the London Convention would not alone deliver a better future for the UK fishing industry.

“For years, successive UK governments have blamed Brussels for their own failure to support the small-scale, sustainable fishers who are the backbone of our fishing fleet,” he said.

“If Brexit is to herald a better future for our fishers, the new Environment Secretary Michael Gove must keep the 2015 Conservative Party manifesto commitment to re-balance fishing quotas in favour of ‘small-scale, specific locally-based fishing communities’.”

Environmental law firm ClientEarth consultant Dr Tom West said the move appeared to be an aggressive negotiating tactic.

“As a country outside the EU we need to consider how we can best co-operate with our neighbours rather than unilaterally withdrawing from all agreements in the hope that standing alone will make us better.”</s>The UKâs withdrawal from an arrangement allowing other countries to fish in British waters is an aggressive step, but not totally surprising, according to one of the countryâs largest fish producersâ group.

The British government will trigger exit from the London Fisheries Convention, signed in 1964 before joining the EU, to start the two-year process to leave the agreement.

The convention grants rights to neighbouring countries to fish in each otherâs fishing zones based on historic fishing activity. It allows vessels from Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of the UKâs coastline.

The Irish fishing fleet has access to parts of the UK six to 12-mile zone, as has the UK fleet to parts of the Irish zone.

These access rights were incorporated into the EU Common Fisheries Policy.

Sean OâDonoghue, chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermenâs Organisation, said it is an aggressive measure by the British.

âWe are not surprised, we did expect it,â he said. âThe access for us is huge but the access between six and 12 is not our greatest priority, our access is between 12-mile limit and 200 UK-wide limit. That is the important one.â

The EU Common Fisheries Policy allows all European countries access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK, and sets quotas for how much fish nations can catch.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, said: âThe announcement by the UK Government is unwelcome and unhelpful.

âIt is a part of Brexit and will be considered by the EU 27 member states and the (Michel) Barnier team when the negotiations commence.â

Mr Creed said: âBrexit poses very serious challenges to the seafood sector, and this announcement will form part of the negotiations.â

However, British ministers claim the move will help take back control of fishing access to UK waters, as it will no longer be bound by existing access agreements, and enable the country to become fully responsible for fisheries management.

UK vessels will also lose the right to fish in the waters six to 12 nautical miles offshore of the other countries.

British Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: âLeaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy.

âIt means for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters.

âThis is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union âone which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK.â

Barrie Deas, chief executive of the British National Federation of Fishermenâs Organisations, said: âThis is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone.â

The UK fishing industry was made up of more than 6,000 vessels in 2015, landing 708,000 tonnes of fish worth â¬890m.

Some 10,000 tonnes of fish was caught by other countries under the convention, worth an estimated â¬20m.

Scotlandâs Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing said: âThe UK Governmentâs decision to withdraw from the London Fisheries Convention is a move we have been pressing for some time now.

This story first appeared in the Irish Examiner.</s>The UK's withdrawal from an arrangement allowing other countries to fish in British waters is unhelpful, the Irish Government has said.

Ministers will trigger exit from the London Fisheries Convention, signed in 1964 before joining the EU, to start the two-year process to leave the agreement.

The convention allows vessels from France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of the UK's coastline.

Agriculture, Food and Marine Minister Michael Creed said: "Today's announcement by the UK Government is unwelcome and unhelpful.

"It is a part of Brexit and will be considered by the EU 27 member states and the (Michel) Barnier team when the negotiations commence."

The Convention grants rights to neighbouring countries to fish in each other's fishing zones based on historic fishing activity.

The Irish fishing fleet has access to parts of the UK six to 12-mile zone, as has the UK fleet to parts of the Irish zone.

These access rights were incorporated into the EU Common Fisheries Policy.

Mr Creed added: "Brexit poses very serious challenges to the seafood sector and this announcement will form part of the negotiations."

Sean O'Donoghue, chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation, a large fish producers' group based on Ireland's west coast, said it is an aggressive measure by the British.

"We are not surprised, we did expect it," he said.

"The access for us is huge but the access between six and 12 is not our greatest priority, our access is between 12-mile limit and 200 UK-wide limit.

"That is the important one."

The EU Common Fisheries Policy allows all European countries access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK and sets quotas for how much fish nations can catch.</s>George Eustice, who works with Michael Gove, has promised to "reset the imbalance" in Europe's fishing waters. Taking a firm stand, the Environment minister promised to take back control of Britain's own waters, stretching up to 200 miles off the mainland. This comes after the UK announced its exit from the London Fisheries Convention, which means Britain has now regained control of the waters 6 - 12 miles off its coast. Sophy Ridge quizzed the DEFRA minister on today's announcement, claiming that UK vessels caught almost 700,000 tonnes of fish last year while overseas vessels only caught 10,000 tonnes within this 6 - 12 mile strip of sea that has been taken back under control.

She asked Mr Eustice if taking back control of 1.4 per cent of fish was really a big victory for the Government. Responding on Sky News, Mr Eustice said this move was only the beginning - with the next step a negotiation of the wider EU Common Fisheries Policy. He told Ridge: "We are absolutely clear that when we leave the EU we will leave the fisheries convention. "We actually catch very little fish in the 6 - 12-mile zone of other European countries. It’s almost entirely in Ireland, a very small amount. "But, actually it is a big victory, because having lots of foreign vessels in that 6 - 12 miles does increase the competition with our fishermen. "Also, in our waters more widely, that is up to 200 miles out, access to foreign vessels is around 700,000 tons of fish, and we only fish about 150,000 tons in each people’s waters. "Our priority is to fix that imbalance and get the best deal for this country's hard-working fishermen."

Earlier today, the environment secretary, Michael Gove, claimed the UK was “taking back control” with today's withdrawal. He announced that the UK will leave the London fisheries convention, signed in 1964 before the UK joined the European Union, giving two years notice of its intention. The convention allows vessels from the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of each other’s coastlines. Mr Gove explained that leaving the European Union would involve exiting the EU common fisheries policy, which allows all European countries access between 12 and 200 nautical miles off the UK and sets quotas for how much fish nations can catch.</s>Donegal TD Pat the Cope Gallagher has said the decision by UK government to withdraw from the London Fisheries Convention is deeply disappointing.

The move would see trawlers from the Republic of Ireland unable to fish within 12 nautical miles of the UK coastline.

Deputy Gallagher, the Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Fisheries, said the Irish government must insist that the issue is discussed as part of the overall trade negotiations.

"It must be remembered that the U.K. exports 62% of its fish catch to the remaining 27 member states, so the trade element is a crucial component of negotiations on fisheries,” he said.

"When Brexit Negotiator, Michel Barnier visited Dublin a number of months ago, I raised this issue with him directly, and I found him to be very receptive to my concerns on post-Brexit fisheries issues.

"This convention pre-dates the entry of both Ireland and the UK into the European Economic Community, and provided all signatory counties with reciprocal fishing rights in each other's waters.

"It's clear that the UK government's commitment to a hard Brexit now extends to ripping up any deal with neighbouring countries irrespective of the benefits.”

Minister For Agriculture, Food And The Marine, Michael Creed, said move was “unhelpful”.

"Today's announcement by the UK government is unwelcome and unhelpful. It is a part of Brexit and will be considered by the EU 27 MSs and the Barnier team when the negotiations commence,” he said.

“The announcement will have no immediate effect as the withdrawal process from the convention will take two years and will form part of the Brexit negotiations.

“The convention grants rights to neighbouring countries to fish in each other's 6 to 12 miles fishing zones based on historic fishing activity. The Irish fishing fleet has access to parts of the UK 6-12 mile zone as has the UK fleet to parts of the Irish zone. These access rights were incorporated into the EU Common Fisheries Policy when we joined the EU.

“The threats posed by Brexit to the Irish fishing industry was discussed last Thursday with the Irish industry at a session of the SeaFest Conference in Galway. Brexit poses very serious challenges to the seafood sector and this announcement will form part of the negotiations."</s>Five EU nations, including France and the Netherlands, which currently have permission to fish up to six miles from our shores, will be banned from fishing the area. Between them, the five countries catch thousands of tones of fish worth millions of pounds within the zone off British shores. However, the Government will announce tomorrow that it is withdrawing from the London Fisheries Convention. This will mean the five countries will be banned from fishing within 12 miles of the coast.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove, whose father Ernest’s Aberdeen fishing business closed down because of Brussels bureaucracy, said: “Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy. It means for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters. “This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union – one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK.” Signed in 1964 before the UK joined the European Union, the London Fisheries Convention allows vessels from five European countries to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of the UK’s coastline. An estimated 10,000 tons of fish, including mackerel and herring, was caught by fishing vessels from Convention countries France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands in 2015 within 12 nautical miles of the British coast – worth an estimated £17million.

The agreement sits alongside the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which allows all European vessels access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK and sets quotas for how much fish each nation can catch. It had already been announced that Britain will no longer be bound by the CFP post-Brexit, but without action, restrictions under the historic London Fisheries Convention would have still applied. Tomorrow, the UK will notify the other Member States signed up to the Convention, triggering a two-year withdrawal period. As announced in the Queen’s Speech, the Government will introduce a Fisheries Bill to control access to the UK’s waters and set fishing quotas once we have left the EU. Britain’s new fishing policy will “allow the fishing industry and coastal communities to thrive, in line with our international obligations, as we build a deep and special partnership with the European Union after Brexit,” said a Defra statement.

A source said: “This is another sign Brexit is happening and that we are taking back control. British fishermen will be very happy.” A defining image of the referendum campaign last year was Nigel Farage having a slanging match with Sir Bob Geldof while the then Ukip leader sailed down the Thames with disgruntled fishermen. Yesterday, speaking about leaving the convention Mr Farage said: “That’s good as far as it goes, and to claim Sovereignty over our 12-mile fishing limit is a start, but international law changed in 1976 and our rights now are 200 miles or the median line from the mainland so what I want to know is are we going to claim our full rights under international law?” Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, said: “This is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone.”
The United Kingdom announces it is withdrawing from the 1964 London Fisheries Convention, which allows several European countries to fish within 6 to 12 nautical miles of each other's coastlines.