Three weeks ago, the UK Government sold out Cornish fishing. At the so-called “EU UK reset summit,” they handed EU fishing vessels unfettered access right up to our 6-mile limit—for another 12 years, with nothing in return for Cornish fishing. Now, the UK Government are back with another hammer blow: a proposed blanket ban on fishing in certain areas, all concentrated around Cornwall’s coast. 

This isn’t policy. It’s annihilation. It is clear that Labour cannot stand the thought of a Cornish fisherman producing seafood and are happy to wipe fishing and coastal communities off the face of the county. This new proposal ignores science, rhyme or reason and any thought for the leaps and bounds the fishing fleet have made when it comes to reducing its environmental impact. There is no thought for displacement of the fleet, driving effort into other fisheries, the total lack of sound science and evidence of how fishing methods actually interact with the seabed, as well as the whole raft on unintended environmental consequences that such radical blanket bans will create. And Labour have chosen this moment—when the industry is still on its knees from the so called EU reset—to stick the boot in. 

Lets remember that this is the same government that merely six months ago gave the green light to create a space equating to 300,000 football pitches, or the entire size of Cornwall, worth of seabed around the Cornish coast to produce electricity from. In order to do this, they will be banging and crashing anchors, chains and electromagnetic cables in to the same space fishing is being banned from. All about saving the seabed and marine environment, is it? It’s hard not to smell a rat. 

Who’s really calling the shots on this new ban of Cornish fishing? Not coastal communities. Certainly not fishermen. But extremist NGOs like Oceana UK and the Blue Marine Foundation—organisations hell-bent on wiping fishing and coastal communities off the map, with no regard for science, history, or consequences. Ministers are falling over themselves to listen to them, not to Cornish fishermen. And who funds these groups? Luxury fashion houses. Whiskey brands. Celebrities. All the non essentials for a healthy life. Last time of checking, fashion was second only to fossil fuels when it comes to global pollution. The hypocrisy stinks. Dressed up as eco warriors, they never called the fishermen, they never stepped foot on a working harbour, they never asked how these decisions would impact the 8,000 jobs it provides in Cornwall, or the countys ability to feed itself and the wider population with low-carbon, nutritious food produced just off our shore. They can not stand the thought of collaboration as it would that would risk leading to genuine solutions and no endless catastrophe for them to fundraise from. These organisations pretend they have a connection to the coast—but clearly it is not in their hearts.

And now, the Cornish fishing industry and its communities are expected to stand by while they attempt to erase the very industry that built our Cornish coves, harbours, and communities?

We won’t.

Cornish fishing is more than an industry—it’s a legacy. It’s food security in an unstable world. It’s who we are. It’s our identity. And it’s worth fighting for. We won’t be silenced. We won’t be sold out. And we certainly won’t be pushed aside by out-of-touch elites. 

Keep Cornwall fishing. 

Send this to your MP. 

Make your voice heard. 

Before it’s too late.