Fishing For Complaints

Environmentalists have pointed out that 50% of the UK's fishing fleet is at least 30 years old (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/18/action-cut-climate-impact-uk-ageing-fishing-fleet-carbon). Thie means that many of the fishing boats use fuel oil that is especially polluting. Most are also engaged in bottom trawling, which is very damaging to marine environments (and not especially efficient, in terms of catching fish). The environmentalists point out that farmers receive subsidies to make their operations 'greener'. They ask why the same can't be done for the UK's fishing fleet. If their engines were made more efficient and bottom trawling banned, similar restrictions could be placed on foreign vessels operating in UK waters. The amounts of money involved would be small in comparison to agriculture.