§ Mr. Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby)I have a petition from Mr. Eric Clemonts of 60, Harrington street, Cleethorpes. The petition started in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, and spread to other parts of the country. It has been signed by 18,000 petitioners, many of them did so in fishmongers and—judging by the petition's smell—in fish and chip shops up and down the country.
The petition states that Britain contributes almost two thirds of the waters in the so-called European pool and almost three quarters of the valuable species of fish. That pool has been over-fished by European fleets that have fished out their own waters. As a result, a conservation crisis has developed, threatening the lives and well-being of the fishermen of this country. The petition urges the Government to take back control of British territorial waters, on the ground that only the nation state has an interest in conserving its own fish stocks.
The petition states:
Wherefore your petitioners pray that your Honourable House direct her Majesty's Government to assume control over those waters extending 200 miles out to sea and to the midway point in the North Sea, English Channel and Irish Sea of which they are the lawful custodians in order to halt the wilful and reckless destruction of Britain's fish stocks and the livelihood of our fishermen by the criminally greedy and irresponsible fleets of other Common Market states. These potentially rich resources are the property of the British people as much as North Sea oil and gas, and we see no justification for their surrender. And your petitioners as in duty bound will ever humbly pray".
§ To lie upon the Table.