THE INDEPENDENT

By John Lichfield and Donald Macintyre

Sharp cuts in the British fishing fleet proposed by Brussels are the product of 13 years of double-talk by British ministers, promising cuts in capacity which never materialised.

Despite the bluster of the Government yesterday, the fact is the UK fishing fleet has steadily grown for most of the 13 years of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) - despite pledges of cuts and conservation made by British ministers.

The growth has little to do with foreign fishing vessels sailing under British flags - the so-called "quota hoppers" - most of which have existed for many years. It has much to do with Government policy, which has restricted British fishermen from claiming generous subsidies from Brussels for paying off old vessels.

The impression in this country is that our fishing fleet has been decimated by unfair competition from foreign vessels and by the collapse of fishing stocks. In reality, despite a decline in fish stocks, the number of British boats, and the catching power of the active British fleet has increased since the CFP was agreed in 1983. Judged on boat numbers alone, the fleet of larger, sea-going British boats (more than 10 metres) has increased by a third. Smaller, inshore boats has increased by two thirds.

Over the last nine years, Britain has done less than any other country, except the Netherlands, to meet unanimously agreed European targets for reducing boat numbers. Inthe period 1987-91, the Governement agreed to an EU-wide programme of cuts which would have reduced the capacity of the UK fleet by nearly 7 per cent. In fact, according to EU figures, its tonnage and horsepower grew by three per cent.

The Government yesterday roundly dismissed the European Commision's call for cuts of up to 40 per cent in the UK fleet over the next seven years. Tony Baldry, the fisheries minister secured all-party support when he issued a blunt counter-demand for the outlawing of "quota hoppers" foreign-owned British boats taking part of the UK catch. But Brussels officials said their proposal -which would reduce all EU fleets - was in line with Iong-agreed policy to reduce catching capacity and preserve what remains of hard-pressed fish stocks.

The Commission accepts "quotahopping" is a serious problem for the Government. Brussels also acknowledges that it makes a nonsense of the principle of national fishing quotas. Foreign-owned boats, mostly Spanish and Dutch. lake over 40 per cent of British quotas for hake and plaice.

Brussels sources say Fisheries Commissioner Emma Bonino encouraged the Government last year to suggest a way of protecting British quotas which would not infringe European law. The Government has failed to respond formally so far.

One reason for the failure to pay off older British boats was the rcluctance of the Government to participate in an EU de-commissioning scheme Seventy per cent of the cash would have come from Brussels. The Treasury opposed full-scale participation on the grounds that payments to UK fishermen would have reduced Britain's annual "cash rebate" from the EU and upset public spending calculations. At the same time, some UK advantage of loose British licencing regulations to "trade up" to larger boats.

In the last five years, a limited use of the EU cash teas been allowed and some net reductions have been made in the British fleet but nowhere near the targets agreed. The Netherlands is an even bigger offender. By contrast, Spain, the usual fish whipping boy, has cut its fleet by five per cent more than the EU required. Hence the need - according to Brussels - for the British and the Dutch fleets to he reduced more sharply than others over the next six years.