MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Additional cuts to British fishing patrols announced

The <i>HMS Severn</i>, one of the vessels of the Fishery Protection Squadron.(RN)

The British government will make new cuts in the number of Royal Navy patrols that protect British waters from illegal fishing, a move that conservationists warn could cause illegal fishing to skyrocket.

The number of patrol days will be 600 this year, as opposed to 800 last year. The number of Fishery Protection Squadron (FPS) boats will be cut from five to three, reports The Telegraph.Since 1997, the number of patrol days have declined by 50 per cent, while the size of the national fishing fleet has declined by only 20 per cent. Conservationists warn that the reductions in patrols will lead to an increase in "black fishing," or the catching of protected species. "If fisheries protection vessel activities are significantly reduced, there is a very real danger that illegal landings may increase," said Richard Harrington, from the Marine Conservation Society. "This would have serious consequences for stocks of many kinds of fish, make the management of fisheries even more difficult, and leave the majority of law-abiding fishermen with a decrease in market prices and fewer fish to catch." Other illegal practices include fishing in restricted areas, using nets that are banned, and keeping more fish than quotas allow. Experts estimate that several thousand tonnes of fish per year are illegally landed and sold. "The patrols help to keep a level playing field for all fishermen. We need enforcement at sea," said Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations. The FPS monitors a fleet of more than 6,000 British vessels as well as hundreds of foreign boats with permits to fish in British waters. Naval officers from the FPS can board fishing vessels at any time and legally search their holds. Since 1997, 380 skippers and 205 boat owners have been caught and convicted of breaking fisheries laws. Fishing officials say the cuts will not reduce the effectiveness of the FPS. "We have a risk-based approach to fisheries protection which involves satellite monitoring and aerial surveillance in addition to off-shore patrolling," said Nigel Gooding, cheif executive of the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) in charge of the FPS. "I am confident that with our targeted approach, the MFA will continue to provide an effective monitoring control and surveillance of our waters in 2008." The patrol cuts will go into effect in April. (FIS)