Key Facts

• Luke Pollard tabled an amendment to Clause 12 of the Fisheries Bill.
• The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 already contains provisions for vessels in distress.
• Articles 17 and 18 of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea allow right of innocent passage.
• Amendments exempt foreign vessels from restrictions in relation to fish caught outside British fishery limits.
• Amendment 17 exempts foreign vessels fishing in a special area and having a Faroe Islands licence.
• Treaty entered into with Denmark in 1999 on maritime delimitation between the UK and the Faroe Islands.
• The amendments comply with the 1999 agreement with Denmark and the Faroe Islands.
• Each country can license its own vessels for fishing in special marine areas.
• Both the UK (Scottish Government) and the Faroese authorities have the authority to issue licences to foreign vessels.
• Amendments aim to exempt foreign vessels from restrictions in several fisheries orders.
• The exemptions apply where the boats have a Faroe Islands licence and are fishing in the Special Area.
• This aligns with the maritime delimitation treaty between the UK and Denmark signed in 1999.
• The schedule amends secondary legislation for fishing prohibitions and gear rules.
• The amendments ensure foreign vessels are bound by sustainability regulations similar to UK boats.
• Clause 14 sets out conditions under which British fishing boats must be licensed, except for specified exemptions.
• The amendments relate to clause 16 of the Fisheries Bill.
• Foreign fishing boats must be licensed if operating within UK waters under negotiated access agreements.
• An exemption exists for vessels allowed to fish in Isle of Man waters under a separate licensing regime.
• Amendment 103 aims to prevent licences from being granted to foreign fishing boats unless they meet safety standards equivalent to British fishing boats.
• Amendments seek to apply similar marine safety standards to foreign boats as are applied in the UK.
• The Plymouth lifejacket scheme includes a personal locator beacon and improved clasp position for ease of use on board.
• Amendment 87 aims to change clause 18.
• The amendment seeks to replace 'Secretary of State' with 'fisheries policy authorities'.
• This would give devolved nations authority over national landing requirements.
• Amendment 87 is consequential on several other amendments.
• Scottish Government has plans for a voluntary monitoring approach for vessels under 12 metres participating in inshore Scottish waters.
• A 68% decrease in the value of the shellfish catch was recorded in Argyll and Bute during March 2020 compared to March 2019.
• Amendment 87 allows devolved Administrations to establish their own national landing requirements.
• Amendments seek to address concerns raised by the Government in the House of Lords regarding an inflexible approach to ensuring that the UK benefits from fish caught in its waters.
• The amendments do not reflect other ways boats can show an economic link to the UK and benefit the country.
• Clause 18 aims to ensure at least two-thirds of fish caught in UK waters are landed at UK ports.
• The amendment protects jobs both at sea and on land, with one job at sea creating up to 10 onshore jobs.
• Currently, 40% of UK quota is landed in Europe, missing out on economic benefits for British coastal communities.
• The last deep sea trawler left Fleetwood in 1982.
• Coastal communities earn around £1,600 a year less than people who live inland.
• Clause 18 could create jobs in fish processing and benefit isolated rural fishing communities across the UK.
• Clause 18 aims to land at least two thirds of fish in UK coastal ports.
• The clause seeks to create jobs in processing, engineering, and catching sectors.
• Currently, landing 50% of fish is potentially one of the licence conditions but companies can bypass it if they have a brass plaque in the UK and employ UK crew.