Fishing is the heart and soul of our coastal communities here in South East Cornwall. It’s firmly part of our identity, history, and continues to shape our character.

Having previously worked for the RNLI, I pay tribute to those who support our fleets when things go wrong, our fishing families, and organisations who do incredible work to support new entrants to the industry.

But it is a harsh reality that fishing communities are diminished from their former glory, with an ever-decreasing number of vessels finding it increasingly hard to make a living, support their families, and keep up with the costs of maintaining vessels and equipment.

Last week, I was pleased to raise the concerns of South East Cornwall’s fishing community in an important debate in Parliament.

Fishermen raise many different issues in discussions I have had with local residents, and organisations such as the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO). As your MP, I’ve secured meetings, and raised issues with the minister for fisheries, Angela Eagle DBE MP to raise concerns directly with the department. The Young Fisherman’s Network are also doing amazing work locally and are raising the profile of Cornish fishing on international stages, like the UN Ocean Conference, which I was also proud to attend.

During the debate, I focused on six key points:

  1. We need to support our small-scale fishermen and prioritise low-impact fishing and social value to protect our seas for the future. I called for the minister to commission work on a fairer regime that delivers a clear national benefit.
  2. I know that fishermen are struggling with iVMS and CatchApp systems. I put pressure on the minister to get to the bottom of failures imposed under the last government’s red tape debacle.
  3. I raised the importance of AI in data collection, which could unlock the value of the data we already collect.
  4. I strongly support the use of the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund for industry led science projects like the Pollack Fishing Industry Science Partnership project by Dr Simon Thomas and Dr Bryce Stewart, which is working with Looe fishermen.
  5. I asked the minister to look at how long-term support for routes to market can be secured for isolated ports like Looe and Polperro.
  6. Finally, I welcomed the government’s funding support but raised the issue that these schemes need to work for small-scale, owner-operated fishermen.

I have heard how much concern there is locally about larger vessels in our 6-12nm zone when our smaller boats aren’t able to fish due to unsafe weather conditions, that’s why I’ll keep calling for an assessment of this and potential solutions such as a kW limit to ensure fair access for our fleets. This was an important week for fishing up in Westminster. I am glad to have raised these concerns, and I will be following up with ministers to monitor what is being done to deliver change for our fishing communities in South East Cornwall.