Peter Aldous visits Lowestoft Fish Market
9th April 2010
Peter Aldous visited Lowestoft Fish Market to meet local fishermen and merchants to listen to their concerns about the future and to outline Conservative proposals for the future of the industry.
The Common Fisheries Policy is due for reform in 2012. The Conservatives are committed to ending the scandal of fish discards, the wasteful practice of fish being regularly dumped back in to the sea dead. The Conservatives will press hard to end discards throughout EU waters and if common agreement cannot be reached, they will push ahead with an application for a UK pilot that would curtail the practice at home.
The Conservatives are committed to transferring management of fisheries to local control. To help put in place effective conservation measures and encourage local sustainable fisheries management, we will seek to increase the level of autonomy over UK waters up to 12 nautical miles in the reform negotiations.
Peter Aldous said: " Lowestoft fishermen have been sidelined for too long. They know the local fisheries best and it is right that they are involved in their management.
"I am also campaigning for the Lowestoft fleet, who today fish "hook and line" to be able to fish outside the quota system. These proposals will be good for both Lowestoft jobs and local fish stocks."
