Casting the net

Yet such wanton waste is happening at a time when consumer demand has never been greater – and when East Coast trawlermen, among others, are subject to restrictions that do not always apply to their European counterparts.

The result is that Britain's fishing industry has suffered years of unnecessary decline because the EU, and others, failed to put a sufficient premium on projects to replenish fish stocks.

It cannot continue, judging by the conclusions of the latest report into the fishing industry's future. Even though some fish stocks are recovering, these instances continue to be in a minority because the EU is obsessed with quotas rather than long-term planning.

It's why Mr Cameron needs to cast his net in search of a new fishing policy.