A Leigh fisherman said the latest slash in fish quotas could spell the end of fishing boats in the town.

After a 13-hour meeting in Brussels the permitted catches were drastically cut to prevent the collapse of the already dangerously low stocks of white fish in the North Sea.

But the measures will hit fishermen who are already struggling to make ends meet.

A 50 per cent reduction has been imposed on cod quotas which comes after scientists warned the stocks have fallen to almost unrecoverable low levels.

However, Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley managed to get a planned 75 per cent reduction on hake catches whittled down to 41 per cent.

Darryl Godbold, chairman of Leigh and Southend Fishing Association, said that Britain's fishermen had suffered badly at the hands of the un-elected European Commission but conceded the cuts were necessary.

He blamed the fact too many countries were fishing the same waters for the low stocks of fish in UK waters.

Mr Godbold said: "I think Mr Morley does a good job but his hands are tied by European regulations.

"The waters of a parent country should be fished by that country only.

"In British waters we have a situation where 15 countries are fishing where only one used to, so of course stocks have depleted and something must be done to stop levels falling further.

"If only Britain was allowed to fish its waters it would have been easier to manage the stocks and we would not be in this predicament."

Mr Godbold, who now mainly fishes for sprats, used to fish for cod in the Estuary and coastal waters.

He said: "I remember when we could go out and catch more than 700kg of cod in one trip.

"A few years ago there were about 40 fishing boats in the area but now there is only about ten and only a couple catch cod.

"Soon you will not be able to find a single fishing boat in Leigh."

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