NEW fishing quotas are a good reason for optimism as the Yorkshire coast looks ahead to the New Year, according to one of the region's MEPs.
The European Commission has been forced to revise its original proposals for 2002 - and David Bowe insists it means a "brighter outlook than was the case even a few days ago".
The cod limit in the North Sea rises by two per cent next year with the limit on haddock up 50 per cent.
"I am sure our local fishermen will be pleased that the commission has been persuaded to take a much more balanced approach than their original extreme proposals, which certainly would have had a devastating impact on some sections of the industry," he said.
"The UK played a leading role in making it clear, while we all recognise controls are necessary to help rebuild fish stocks, they have to be based on solid scientific evidence."
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