Puffins threatened by overfishing of European boats in UK waters after Brexit, RSPB warns | UK News

Overfishing by Scandinavian boats in UK waters threatens the puffin, wildlife conservation groups say.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has renewed its calls for “urgent action” to curb the fishing practices of boats from countries like Denmark and Norway.

Under EU quota agreements that have continued Brexit, foreign fishing vessels have almost exclusive access to sandeel fishing off the British coasts.

Sandeel is the staple food for Atlantic puffins and other seabirds, but its supply has already been affected by climate change.

Environmentalists say warming seas have led to a reduction in numbers near the coast and have warned that systematic overfishing is depriving more species, like puffins, already threatened with extinction.

Alex Kinninmonth, responsible for maritime policy at RSPB in Scotland, told Sky News: “Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of sandeel are removed from the North Sea each year, impacting seabirds and other wildlife. “

“For many years there has been a huge industrial fishery in the North Sea, mainly for boats from Denmark and a few from Sweden and other EU countries.”

“It is an industrial fishery, not for human consumption. It is broken down into fishmeal and fish oil which go into all kinds of industrial processes like agricultural feed and fertilizers.”

“There is a big problem with this because it conflicts with wildlife conservation. There are far too many fish being taken out of the sea and not enough to maintain thriving seabird populations.

“One of the options available to UK ministers is to manage our fisheries in our own waters after Brexit, so that we can close UK waters to sandeel …