Britain's fishing quota to surge as a result of leaving EU

Britain’s fishing quota is set to surge by 30,000 tonnes as a result of leaving the EU in a Brexit victory for the country.

Negotiators agreed new catch quotas for fishing in 2023 and the Government said the deal with the EU will give UK fishers the opportunity to catch 140,000 tonnes of fish worth more than £280 million.

That takes the value of fishing opportunities secured for the British industry out of the three main negotiation forums between the EU, UK and Norway to £750 million – a £34 million increase on last year, the Government said.

It is the third year of annual fisheries negotiations since the UK became an independent coastal state following Brexit.

The Government, which agreed total allowable catch levels for 69 fish stocks with the EU in the negotiations, said sustainability had been at the heart of its approach to the talks.

Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said: “Our agreement with the EU secures valuable fishing opportunities for the UK fishing industry while cementing our joint commitment to manage fisheries sustainably.

“These decisions are based on the latest scientific advice to help protect key fish stocks with the long-term health of the marine environment at the forefront of our minds.”

"This deal provides fishing opportunities for more than 140,000 tonnes for the UK fleet and is worth around £282 million based on historic landing prices. As part of this deal, we have agreed access arrangements on albacore tuna, on spurdog in the North Sea for the first time through the UK-EU written record.

"For non quota stocks, we have agreed a rollover of access arrangements for 2023 to ensure continued access to fish non quota stocks in the EU waters worth around £25 million per year to the UK fleet."

He added: "As a result of the quota share uplifts agreed in the trade and cooperation agreement, the UK has around 30,000 tonnes more quota from these negotiations and it would have received if it were as it would... as a previous member of the EU."