The North Atlantic and, in particular, the so-called northern outer waters of the EU, have an abundant population of cod and haddock that supplies French fries stores in the United Kingdom with 26% of fish. The fishing industry in England encompasses the fish processing industry and the fishing trawler companies that fish in England. The majority of seafood imported to the United Kingdom from the rest of the EU comes from Germany, Sweden and Denmark. It is mainly composed of salmon, tuna and cod.
About 20% of the value of seafood imports is salmon from Sweden. National governments came to consider that all maritime activities, including fishing, were essential for the training of sailors who needed their armies during times of war. Therefore, governments promoted fishing not only because the fish was valuable as food and as an item of trade, but because they were breeding grounds for sailors. Even Protestant England would legislate fish days to increase fish consumption.
The discovery of new fishing grounds as rich as those in Newfoundland would surely attract the interest of all Western European countries. The impact would also affect fish farms in the United Kingdom, which export most of their products, and the fish processing industry, which depends on imports. Also in Grimsby is the Marine Fish Industry Authority (SeaFish), which promotes fish consumption and conducts research for the fishing and fish processing industry. Breton fishermen were visiting Newfoundland as early as 1504, while Norman fishermen discovered fishing grounds thanks to Thomas Aubert, who had made a fishing and reconnaissance trip in 1508.In 1600, fish was often stored on ships whose sole purpose was to transport those loads and which arrived in Newfoundland when the fishing season ended.
In verifying this statement, it is first worth noting that if the United Kingdom were allowed to catch 20% of the fish that swim in British waters and the EU took the rest, then there would be no fish left in the sea. The Grimsby National Fisheries Heritage Centre shows what the fishing industry was like in England. As British retailers expand their supply of certified fish and make commitments to sustainable seafood, they may not be able to supply cod caught in Britain due to the unsustainability of fish stocks in the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), warned Planet Tracker. If Farage's argument is that most of the fish stocks that live in UK waters are fished by other member states, then he is right; but the figure is not 80%, but 70%.
The EU countries that would be most affected by the end of access to UK waters in the analysis were Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, whose fishing fleets catch between 35 and 45% of their fish in the United Kingdom. They dominate the fish market in the United Kingdom, so much so that supermarkets have initiated campaigns to raise awareness that there are other fish and that, at least, they should be taken into account.
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