First Destroy, then Ban

In a desperate effort to undo some of the damage wrought by the stupidity of the Common Fisheries Policy, a complete ban on fishing in some parts of the North Sea is being proposed. Decades of treating the seas around Europe as common property combined with subsidizing the building of every more efficient fishing fleets has led to a collapse in fish stocks. No one, whatever their stance on the issues involved is arguing that the problem can be ignored. However, if the sea continues to be treated as a common resource, there will be no solution. Fisherman are not allowed to land the fish that they have caught because of quotas, but do not have the option of not catching them. Masses of fish are uselessly killed in this way. Full ownership of fishing rights for specific sections of the sea is the only solution. Despite, this headline, the push for the ban is not coming from Brussels.