Fisherman sense a threat to their livelihood

Government Gives Up Rights to 60,000 Square Miles of Sea

Members of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations have written to the Agriculture Minister, Jack Cunningham, about the move, which could cost billions of pounds in future oil, fishing and minerals rights.

The dispute centres on a Foreign Office decision to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an international treaty which prevents uninhabited rocks without an economy from being used as a basis for territorial claims.

Cunningham: faces angry protests

Britain's most westerly claim will from next week be the islands of St Kilda, 100 miles off the Western Isle of Harris. Rockall remains part of the UK because it is within 200 miles of St Kilda.

But the problem for the fishing community is that the ratification means Britain will immediately have to cede fishing and mining rights to an area in a 200-mile radius of Rockall.

Most of the sea around the rock will be re-defined as "international waters" and open to negotiation between interested parties. The decision will also reduce European fishing rights to the North Atlantic.

The chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, which represents 2,000 vessels in English, Welsh and Northern Irish waters, said his members "are totally sick of the way this whole thing has been handled". Barry Deas said it would have been better if the Foreign Office had consulted first before making the decision.

Thumbs Up From Greenpeace

Greenpeace, which has been occupying Rockall in protest at oil and gas exploration in the North Atlantic, is delighted by the announcement.

The environmental group is taking legal action against the Government for granting licences to companies in the area because it claims mining will destroy rare cold water coral reefs. It also claims the Government has broken European Union directives protecting species.

The Foreign Office decision does not affect the High Court case because the mining is going on in British territorial waters. But Greenpeace oil campaign spokesman Robbie Kelman said the areas ceded to the UN should be declared a joint-non development area for fossil fuels, the chief cause of global warming.

He said: "We welcome this. It gives the UK Government the opportunity to progress and tie in their environmental policy on protection of the world climate and their industry policy. At the moment these two policies are in stark contrast. One says we need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and the other is saying there should be ever more oil exploration. It is a completely contradictory policy for the Government."

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