Rye fishermen should get a fairer share of the quota says MP Michael Foster.
Last week in Parliament Mr Foster demanded a redistribution of fishing quota to small vessels such as those launched from Rye.
But he was furious when the Conservative Shadow Fisheries Minister seemed to support the idea, but when challenged refu
sed to offer any commitment to redistribution should the Tories win the next general election.
He said: "This is typical Tory posturing, saying they support fishermen but then doing the opposite. The Shadow Minister supported my call for a fairer quota distribution but then flat refused to commit to the policy."
The UK fishing fleet is divided into two sectors. The under 10 Metre, which includes almost all the boats at Rye, employs over half of the fishing industry workforce but only receives three percent of the quota ,while the over ten metre sector, dominated by industrial scale producers, receives about 96 percent of the total.
The MP, along with local fishermen, has long campaigned for a more equitable distribution of the quota took the opportunity to highlight the needs of our local fleets.
He said: "The quotas are wrong and must be changed.
"I know the Minister believes the current quota distribution to be unfair. However, his current reliance on industry negotiation, though commendable, will not achieve the solution our local fishermen need. I hope I can embolden him to compel a change to the current quota allocation."
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