Sir,

Further to Matt Ridley’s article (“Freed from Europe, our fisheries can flourish”, Comment, Oct 16, nearly all commercial fisheries in California use quota as is the case in the UK under EU management. What the Californians, like much of the US, get right is properly funded scientific research and management. And unlike ministers from countries (including the UK), they set quota limits by law no higher than scientific advice. The UK government has promised an increase in UK quota just as EU leaders have promised not to reduce their own. That way trouble lies.

For the sake of our seas and the communities that rely on them, we should learn from California and agree with our neighbours not to exceed sustainable quota levels.

This letter to the editor was originally published by the Times here.