>>1403 I think the bit about sea stocks is particularly poignant. Industrial fishing is basically oceanic armageddon and the figures are shocking.
Incidentally, this is one of the side benefits of the planned North Sea offshore super wind farm. It would be a haven for fish stocks because fishing boats would be precluded from taking fish from a fairly large area. This breeding ground could feed the rest of the north sea, benefiting everyone.
The problem with the fishing stocks is that countries like Spain and Portugal are allowed to rape and pillage the sea while the UK fishing industry has dwindled to nothing.
>>1408 The UK fishing industry is the exact size it should be to fish sustainably. But you are right about certain other EU nations. Ireland is another heavy offender. It's time the EU enforced it's quotas with submarines.
The size of the UK fleet was partly reduced not for "sustainability", but to get deals in return with other countries in Europe. We essentially traded our long term resources away for short term gains. What makes it worse is we traded it to countries that don't care what happens to our resources, certainly not like the British would (and they continue to rape and pillage as mentioned above).
The Russian factory boats are monsters too. I don't know if you've ever seen them or the results of them.
Britain should use the navy to enforce its seas more strictly and take back the fishing rights we should have, both to increase our own take and to prevent it being absued by others.