Mr Van Orden commented: "I have always maintained that the Common Fisheries Policy was bad for our fishing industry and bad for the fish. Our fishermen are facing even tougher times next year, according to decisions taken in Brussels last night.   

"How can the UK Fisheries Minister describe quota cuts of 10% for North Sea cod, haddock and whiting as "great news for the fishing industry"?  

"A devastating 10% further cut in the number of days fishermen can fish in the North Sea, coupled with savage cuts in quotas, spells disaster for struggling skippers and their crews. I am saddened that the last fishing boat has now finished in Great Yarmouth, and that the Clarke brothers have reluctantly had to give up a trade practised by their family for four generations. But I am not surprised.  Lowestoft too is almost empty of fishing boats although we have helped sustain the fish processing industry there. 

"All this despite recent evidence gathered by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) the scientists who advise the European Commission indicate that cod, haddock, monkfish and whiting stocks have all increased in the North Sea. But pleas from the fishermen to be allowed to increase their catches have fallen on deaf ears. 

"Our beleaguered fishermen are routinely ordered to limit their catches under strict Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and Quota regulations and to restrict the days they spend at sea. They are ordered to reduce their engine size and increase the mesh size on their nets. They are monitored by satellites from outer space and every fish they catch has to be registered in electronic logbooks. But still there is no sensible policy on discards.   

"Recent talks have raised hopes that fisheries management will be devolved out of Brussels and down to those at the forefront of the industry, with day to day control involving the fishermen themselves. However the reality is that inadequate science, a harsh regulatory regime, poor financial rewards and dangerous working conditions - the hallmark of 50 years of the CFP - have rendered the job almost un-tenable."