Michael Gove has confirmed that Defra will examine an alternative to a Common Fisheries Policy, as part of plans for leaving the EU.
Mr Gove, the secretary of state for the environment, food and rural affairs, announced details of a new policy which he believes will be backed by the fishing community.
The plan, created by Fishing for Leave director John Ashworth of Stonehaven, is a version of days at sea that would scrap the current unpopular system of fish discards completely.
Fishing for Leave founder and north sea skipper Aaron Brown said he was pleased the UK Government was considering the new plan and argued that replicating the EU Common Fisheries Policy would be “madness”.
He said: “The CFP is recognised as a disaster so why would we adapt it into domestic law when we have got the chance to say see ya?
“Our system aims to take a nice, even slice from what Mother Nature gives us to try and keep the scales in balance.
“There’s a worry that everyone will just go out and pummel the high-value fish, so we have put secondary controls in place around temporary closures, conservation credits and flexible catch compositions.
“If you catch the wrong fish, you give up time equal to the value of the fish. We have modelled this and it works.”
Speaking at a fringe event at the UK Conservative conference, Mr Gove confirmed his department was considering the effort control management plan Mr Ashworth had suggested.
He said: “It’s still the case we have some fish thrown overboard because of the way the quota system works.
“Fishing for Leave has set out a system, based around controlling days at sea, and it’s also the case there’s a different way of using quota, which Iceland has.
“One of the things we’re looking at at the moment is the proposition put forward by John, whose understandable anger that fishermen should have to throw perfectly healthy fish overboard is absolutely justified.”
Mr Gove talked about how Defra needed the transition period outlined by Theresa May to get things set up post-Brexit and is also preparing for a “no deal” scenario.
He added: “We all want to have a deal with the EU, but we have to be ready for the circumstance where there may not be a deal.
“Being outside the EU in March 2019 is going to lead to a significant change but there are some areas where we will need more time.
“And that’s why I think a two-year transition period is the right thing.”
