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HILARY Benn, the Secretary of State for the
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs paid his first visit to Newlyn on
Tuesday as part of a two day regional trip to the South West.
And, ahead of a decision on the new fish market by the Marine Fisheries Agency (MFA) at the end of next month, he told The Cornishman: "Newlyn fish market is very important and it needs the right facilities to meet the industry's future challenges."
He
said there was a problem with fish stocks, globally, and the challenge
for the fishing industry was to find a way to fish sustainably.
Mr
Benn, accompanied by St Ives MP Andrew George and Justin Williams,
District Inspector of the Marine Fisheries Agency, paid an early
morning visit to the fish market to witness the early morning catch
being sold.
He saw the work of Marine and Fisheries
Agency inspectors and was also impressed after talking to fishermen and
other members involved in the Fish for Litter project which aims to
collect litter from the sea to stop damage to the marine environment.
Terrific
"The project is terrific," he added. "Speaking to the fishermen involved in it, they are very positive and enthusiastic."
Mr George welcomed Mr Benn's visit to Newlyn, saying: "The fishing industry in Newlyn deserves a boost.
"Momentous
decisions still have to be taken about the future of the port and I am
grateful to the Secretary of State for the attention he has given to
our local industry and hope that it will instil greater confidence that
we have a justification to be ambitious for the future of our fishing
industry and port."
He also used the visit to
celebrate the fact that both Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly retain
their status as separate Inshore Fisheries Authorities following a
decision taken by Government ministers recently.
Mr
George, who led for his Party from the Front Bench in debates on the
future of the Marine & Coastal Access Bill, had campaigned for the
retention of the separate status of Cornwall and also for the Isles of
Scilly under the proposed new Inshore Fisheries & Conservation
Authorities when they are introduced next year to replace the current
Sea Fisheries Committees.
Mr George said: "This was a very significant campaign success.
"I
am grateful to Hilary Benn and his Fisheries Minister, Huw
Irranca-Davies MP, for having listened to the arguments I and others
had put forward during the debate on plans for the new Inshore
Fisheries and Conservation Authorities.
"Retaining
greater local control over the management of Inshore Fisheries out of
the six mile limit is far more effective if managed by a Cornish
authority and, separately, by a Scillonian authority, than if it were
managed from Bristol, Southampton or somewhere else."
article copyright WESTERN MORNING NEWS
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