The European Commission said on Monday 3 July that it noted the decision by the United Kingdom to notify the signatory states of its decision to leave the London Convention on fisheries, which dates from 1964. The UK is looking to recover exclusive control of fishing rights close to its coast, in line with the vote for Brexit.
The London Convention, concluded 53 years ago, before the UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973, authorises fishing in an area between six and twelve nautical miles from the coasts of the signatory states. In this, it offers greater latitude than European law which does not allow vessels to fish any closer than 12 miles from the coast of other member states. In withdrawing from the convention, the UK also prevents its own fishermen from fishing close to the coasts of five other countries: France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Netherlands.
The British government informed the signatory states to the convention of its decision on Monday, setting the ball rolling on a two-year exit process. The UK will, at the same time, have to negotiate its withdrawal from the common fisheries policy (CFP).
Nothing has changed, says Barnier. The London Convention has been superseded by the CFP and, so, is now longer applicable. EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier tweeted that the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the London Convention “= no change: EU law/Common Fisheries Policy had superseded it”. He pointed out that his priority in the negotiations was “EU 27 interests”.
The UK decided to withdraw from the convention so as not to be tied to it when the Brexit negotiations are completed. Technically, for a short period of time, EU vessels will be able to fish in the six to twelve mile area but not in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends from a state’s baseline out to 200 nautical miles from its coast. Beyond that distance covers international waters.
Move towards new national fisheries policy. “This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union”, said Environment Secretary Michael Gove. “It means for the first time in more than 50 years, we will be able to decide who can access our waters.”
The UK National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations said the decision was “welcome news”. “It’s an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone”, stated NFFO President Barry Deas.
Taking a different view, Irish Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Michael Creed said the decision was “unwelcome and unhelpful”. In 2015, 708,000 tonnes of fish worth €900 million were caught by British vessels under the convention. By way of comparison, foreign vessels working in British waters under the London convention caught 10,000 tonnes of fish. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)