Fishing In The English Channel Off The Coast Of Hastings

HASTINGS, ENGLAND - AUGUST 10: Skipper Stuart Hamilton, pulls in the nets while fishing for flatfish such as Skate and Dover Sole in the English Channel from a Hastings fishing boat on August 10, 2020 in Hastings, England. For coastal communities around the UK, the fishing industry is their economic lifeblood, bringing in close to 1 Billion GBP to the UK economy annually. While the industry is small in comparison to the financial sector, fishing rights have assumed outsized importance in Brexit negotiations between the UK and European Union. Many fishermen would see the UK’s departure from the Common Fisheries policy as a step forward, arguing that our membership has resulted in the loss of British jobs and income. Most concede however that a compromise will need to be struck, as much of the catch is sold into European markets, which, if disrupted, would be a major blow to British fishing operations. Meanwhile, warming waters have driven much of the profitable fish, such as cod, farther north, only to be replaced with less profitable species such as spider crab. As waters have warmed the crabs have massed in the channel where they come to shed their shells, a process that leaves much of them inedible. Amid these environmental and political concerns, there is the coronavirus pandemic, which shuttered countless restaurants and deprived these fleets of many regular customers. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)