A committee of MPs has rejected the key findings of an influential government strategy unit report on the fishing industry.

The Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee said calls for a reduction in the UK's fish fleet should be ruled out.

Number 10's Strategy Unit had recommended that 13 per cent of the whitefish fleet should be decommissioned and a further 30 per cent voluntarily tied-up.

But the MPs said that it was concerned that the data used to justify the recommendations was "inaccurate".

They added that calling on fishermen to tie-up their vessels without compensation was "completely unreasonable".

However, the committee accepted that the fishing industry requires "significant reform" and urged the government to implement some of the Strategy Unit's recommendations in order to achieve this.

Priorities

Other recommendations include the suggestion that the industry should have more involvement in developing and setting priorities for fisheries science.

And the government should undertake a case-by-case evaluation of each mixed fishery to establish which are suited to an effort-based management system.

"Fishing's been hard hit but we hope that if government and the industry follow our recommendations and the fishermen are involved in shaping their own destiny, it will inherit a better future," said sub-committee chairman Austin Mitchell.