The Daily Post has an article about what they see as a worrying development for Welsh fishermen.

Traditional sea fishing on the Welsh coast is in danger of of being wiped out under new EU rules due next year.

Scores of fishing families, many of whom have fished the coast for generations, have been thrown into a panic by plans to prohibit drift netting.

The blanket ban, due January 2015, was proposed following concerns some fishermen were flouting existing rules designed to protect tuna, dolphins, sharks and other marine animals.

Nothing wrong with trying to protect various marine animals who die unnecessarily in some of the drift nets. However, the Welsh fishermen say that this does not apply to them:

But fishermen on the Dee estuary claim the problem is limited to the Mediterranean and has no relevance to Welsh fishermen, who use small, mesh nets for catching plaice, flounder and sea bass.

If the ban goes ahead, some 70 vessels will be at risk around Wales as in-shore fishermen are prevented from using any other gear, such as fixed nets.

These matters should be discussed properly. Unfortunately, as long as we are in the Common Fisheries Policy (and as long as we are in the EU, we are in the CFP) this is not an argument that can be used. The policy may be implemented regionally after the so-called reforms but it is decided centrally, often as a result of political horse trading. (Well, all right, shark trading.)