The hysteria that is currently being fostered by some objectors to the new 40 cm mls is largely based on the assertion that those dastardly foreigners will be reaping all the benefits.
 
Whilst looking at the CEFAS website today I came across this: 
 
Whilst 88% of the recaptures of bass tagged inshore were taken by UK fisheries inside the UK 12-mile zone and 3 % were reported from the offshore pair-trawl fishery, 59% of the recaptures of bass tagged in the offshore pair-trawl fishery were made inshore along the UK coast, and 32% in the offshore pair trawl fishery.

Most of the remaining 9% of recaptures were taken by UK vessels fishing outside 12 miles. T

aking into account the likelihood of a tagged bass being available to be recaptured and reported (4-5 times more likely for bass tagged inshore, chiefly because they survive better than even selected pair-trawl caught fish) and the numbers of bass caught in the respective fisheries, an average of 40 fish tagged inshore were recaptured each year from the UK inshore fishery, and 5 fish from the offshore fishery.

This indicates that for every 9 bass that could potentially be caught in the inshore fishery around England and Wales in the period 2000 - 2004, one would be available to be caught by another country's vessel (fishing outside 6 miles).

This suggests that the effects of management measures implemented in the UK inshore fishery are largely restricted to that fishery.
 
NB bold/underscored text is my emphasis.
 
 
(The full page can be found at:    http://www.cefas.co.uk/basstagging/default.htm )
 
 
No one wants foreign boats to benefit but the real issue is to be able to distinguish between benefits that may or may not accrue to Johnny foreigner AND benefits that undoubtedly will accrue to inshore UK exploitation (whether recreational or commercial).
 
How many times would anyone in their right mind refuse to accept a hand out of a £50 note just because every £50 pocketed also resulted in their arch rival  simultaneously pocketing a fiver ?  

The secret is to focus on the £50 ! 

Difficult ??   

Well, apparently, YES !  -- for some ???
 
Just how irrational is that?