Waveney MP Peter Aldous welcomes today's judgement on the fishing quota judicial review in the High Court.

In a landmark ruling regarding the ultimate control of UK fishing quota, the court backed the Government's decision to redistribute some of the unused fishing allowances to small inshore fishing boats.

The High Court ruling should have a significant impact on the fishing industry and help give the inshore fleet [under 10 metre vessels], such as those who fish out of Lowestoft and along the Suffolk coast a sustainable future.

The judgement leaves the way clear for the Department of the Environment Farming and Rural Affairs [DEFRA] to reallocate quota so that small-scale fishermen receive sufficient quota to be able to earn a fair living. During Oral Questions in the House of Commons last month, Richard Benyon gave his reassurances to Peter Aldous that the Government would transfer quota from the over-10 metre fleet to the inshore under-10 metre fleet.

Peter Aldous said:

"It is essential that at the same time that the CFP is being reformed that the inshore fleet are allocated a fair share of quota so as to provide a fair living for fishermen in Lowestoft. The judicial review confirms that fish are a public asset and that the Government has the ability to allocate quota fairly. I look forward to the Government coming forward with proposals that achieve this objective."

Mr Aldous has been campaigning since being elected in May 2010 to secure a sustainable future for Lowestoft's fishermen.