WE were led to believe that we’d take back control of our fishing waters at the end of March 2019.
There was genuine excitement and anticipation.
Instead, though, we find ourselves imprisoned in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) for another 21 months.
The disappointment around the country, especially in Scotland, was palpable.
I try my best to be pragmatic when faced with events over which I, personally, have no control.
The silver lining is that the UK will now be allowed to sign new trade deals during this implementation phase.
It’s a big win, but the price is a kick in the teeth for the fishing industry.
Clearly the anger felt by me and many of my colleagues reached the ear of the Prime Minister, as we were summoned to a meeting with her on Tuesday.
There, Mrs May assured me that UK waters would once more be ours in January 2021.
Defra Secretary Michael Gove gave the House the same reassurance.
Lest we forget, fishing has long been a vital British industry.
Our abundant seas attracted the covetous eye of the Icelandic fleet, requiring the Royal Navy to protect our boats during three so-called cod wars.
That changed when we joined the EU and found ourselves truly enmeshed in the much-detested CFP, which decimated our fishing industry and fish stocks.
The quota system is fundamentally flawed, with EU boats catching 60 per cent of all fish in our waters.
With their take valued at between three to four billion pounds, the disparity is clear.
Complicated discard rules reduce catches still further.
In comparison, Iceland and Norway keep 90 and 84 per cent of the fish grown in their exclusive zones, respectively.
Roll on January 2021.