FISHERIES have always been an important part of Cornwall’s history and its future. We are surrounded by the sea on three sides.

The industry contributes more than £170-million to Cornwall’s economy directly from fish landed, and for every fisher at sea there are 15 jobs in the supply chain.

I went to Brussels three weeks ago with my Select Committee for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Much of the discussion we had with our European counterparts was about fishing – specifically the upcoming quota negotiations where the scientific evidence sets the discussion for how much of what fish can be caught where. In previous years, reductions to some quotas have been too stark for fishers to adjust to: for example, the pollack quota a couple of years ago was set at zero with no warning, which caused real hardship for Cornish fishermen. It’s vital that the fish stocks are sustainable and fishers and environmentalists all agree that overfishing would be disastrous, but the data we use to set the catch needs to be right.

A recently passed new bylaw ensured that Fal oysters below a certain size aren’t to be fished to allow immature stock to grow and reproduce. That was based on local data and a consultation. We need to make sure changes happen on the basis of strong information and after full consultation with all parties.

On Thursday last week there was an ‘Urgent Question’ in Parliament about the £360-million fund for fishing and coastal communities that the government is setting up after the recent EU trade deal. I spoke in that debate to push for our fair share of that fund so that fishing in Cornwall can thrive. After allocation to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland there will be £304-million for the rest of the country over 12 years.

Cornish Labour MPs then met with the Minister for Fishing, Angela Eagle. Our discussion covered a wide range of issues affecting fishing communities, such as training opportunities for young people, local infrastructure needs, enhancing Cornwall’s access to markets, and increasing support for locally-led research and data collection.

We also talked about what Cornwall’s share of that Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund should do. That it should invest in new technology and equipment, help to rebuild the fishing fleet, and train the next generation of fishers. The Duchy’s fishing communities need to be prioritised when it comes to funding allocations this time as that did not happen under the last Conservative government’s fishing funds.

The Minister said there will be a consultation to come and a timeline of early in the new financial year.

We need a strategy for the ocean. We have a local plan for the land, but nothing similar for the sea. Renewables like offshore wind will be important for energy security and jobs. However, we need to look carefully at how we balance fishing, marine protected areas, sustainability, nature recovery, the environment and energy and make sure we keep our profitable and vital heritage industries, such as fishing, going strong.