FISHING quotas should be set at a regional level instead of by European ministers and Brussels Commissioners, says lobbyist Jim Portus

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His comments come after Tory MEPs voted in favour of reforming the European Fishing policy, which has been blasted as 'a disaster' for both fish and fishermen.

Ashley Fox, MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar, says the current policy does not protect either fishermen or fish.

"It is morally wrong for fishermen to catch perfectly healthy fish and then be forced to throw them away because they have reached a quota set by commissioners in Brussels who may have little experience of fishing or the local area," he added.

Current legislation forces fishermen across the South West to discard any species of fish caught without quota in a mixed catch.

Julie Girling MEP, a member of the European Parliament Fisheries Committee, said local fishermen should not be constrained by a one size fits all policy and that quotas should be set regionally.

Mr Portus, of the South Western Fish Producer's Organisation, agreed but said MEPs should look in the mirror as they are also responsible for creating quota problems.

"I find it interesting what Ashley Fox says. It's an interesting point of view because actually the quotas are not set by commissioners in Brussels, they are set by the council of ministers and European Parliamentarians," Mr Portus said.

"I agree those people have little or no experience of fishing and have little or no experience collectively of the local fishing industry and its problems.

"Those MEPs and ministers collectively who create the regulations are the ones in whose hands our industry lies and who are responsible for creating the problems with the quotas.

"They should look in the mirror. If they are suggesting they themselves are going to reform as part of the fishing policy reform process it will be a sensible step forward for the future of the fishing industry.

"I absolutely agree with the statement that fishing quotas should be set at a regional level, drafted by national Government, scientists and local fishermen.

"If the European Parliament is saying it is willing to give up the current influence it has — and the decision making powers it uses to arrive at the quotas which cause fishermen to discard fish — I agree.

"We want the council of ministers and the European Parliament and the Brussels Commission to be prepared to hand over the decision making to those who are actually far more knowledgeable about the fish stocks and the seasonal nature of the fisheries to the regulatory bodies which already exist.

"If these bodies are given powers over the reforms of the common fisheries policy, I would welcome that and it would be a triumph for common sense."