The organisation draws attention to what it perceives as glaring hypocrisy. CFPO points out that just six months prior, the same government approved the creation of an area equivalent to “300,000 football pitches, or the entire size of Cornwall,” of seabed around the Cornish coast for electricity generation. To achieve this, it notes, developers “will be banging and crashing anchors, chains and electromagnetic cables in to the same space fishing is being banned from.” CFPO challenges the narrative that this is “all about saving the seabed and marine environment,” suggesting, “It’s hard not to smell a rat.”
External Influence Accusations
CFPO questions who is truly driving this new ban on Cornish fishing, stating, “Not coastal communities. Certainly not fishermen.” Instead, it points to “extremist NGOs like Oceana UK and the Blue Marine Foundation—organisations hell-bent on wiping fishing and coastal communities off the map, with no regard for science, history, or consequences.” The statement claims that ministers are “falling over themselves to listen to them, not to Cornish fishermen.”
The organisation highlights the funding sources for these groups, identifying them as “Luxury fashion houses. Whiskey brands. Celebrities. All the non essentials for a healthy life.” It further asserts the “hypocrisy stinks,” reminding that “fashion was second only to fossil fuels when it comes to global pollution.” CFPO criticises these groups, alleging that despite “Dressed up as eco warriors,” they “never called the fishermen, they never stepped foot on a working harbour, they never asked how these decisions would impact the 8,000 jobs it provides in Cornwall, or the countys ability to feed itself and the wider population with low-carbon, nutritious food produced just off our shore.” The organisation concludes this point by stating that these groups “can not stand the thought of collaboration as it would that would risk leading to genuine solutions and no endless catastrophe for them to fundraise from,” and that despite pretending a connection to the coast, “clearly it is not in their hearts.”
Industry’s Resolve
CFPO declares that the Cornish fishing industry and its communities will not “stand by while they attempt to erase the very industry that built our Cornish coves, harbours, and communities.”
The statement concludes with a strong message of defiance: “Cornish fishing is more than an industry—it’s a legacy. It’s food security in an unstable world. It’s who we are. It’s our identity. And it’s worth fighting for. We won’t be silenced. We won’t be sold out. And we certainly won’t be pushed aside by out-of-touch elites.”
The organisation urges action: “Keep Cornwall fishing. Send this to your MP. Make your voice heard. Before it’s too late.”