Something fishy with Simon Rhodes from Lobsterpot Fishmongers, Wood Street Food Hall

WELL, the decision has been made and for a lot of people it’s not a popular one.

We are no longer able to look to Europe for decisions and laws and we are now the captain of our own ship.

This may be a good thing or a bad thing but one thing is for sure: We are on our own and unable to blame anyone else or look outside the UK for community support.

I think we are a great country with wealth, history, experience, diversity and the ability to adapt to a changing economy. We have embraced many diverse cultures, cuisines, and opinions and we have a great tolerance for these issues which make Britain a very vibrant and exciting country to live in.

Of course we are feeling apprehensive about the future, that is only natural, but we need to look to the future in a positive light and reduce the mountainous bureaucracy that currently exists.

One of the areas that we can certainly thrive in is the fishing industry. I believe that as an island surrounded by the most amazing fishing grounds we can use this opportunity to trade profitably among our European cousins for our superb fish and once again enhance our fishing fleet.

In Iceland they have done exactly that and they currently have one of the most productive and modern fishing industries in the world. They did apply for EU membership in 2009 but have since dropped the application, believing that taking control of their fishing grounds and fishing industry would be better for them without membership.

Our fishing industry and the grounds around our island is a commodity, a golden egg, a bit like oil in Saudi Arabia. All we need to do is harvest it, control it and trade it.

The world is a giant market for trading in and I strongly believe we will survive and thrive because, after all, we are a nation of shopkeepers.