Commenting on the recent statement made by Dr. Tydeman to the UK House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, The Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society have claimed that the Gibraltarian public hold the same opinion that British Government ‘values good relations with Spain far more than it does the interests of Gibraltar’. The Society insists that this view, held also by Dr. Tydeman, should not come across as controversial, locally. They go on to say that the Royal Navy’s inaction in adequately protecting local fisheries is difficult to explain in any other context, given that the Navy actually includes a ‘Fishery Protection Squadron’ that operates in UK waters and British waters around the Falklands. 

‘The Royal Navy itself states that the primary task of the squadron “is its involvement in the highly emotive and politically sensitive UK and European fishing industry.”’

The views expressed by Dr. Tydeman, on the role of Gibraltar’s Governor were in taken from a report that published the proceedings of a workshop held by the UKOTCF in October 2012 on the subject of the UK Government’s ‘White Paper’ on its Overseas Territories. GONHS Insists that the report refers to the office and role of the Governor, and not Sir Adrian Johns personally.

GONHS does not doubt Sir Adrian’s commitment to Gibraltar, although it regrets that the Convent simply stated that Dr Tydeman’s comments do not reflect the Governor’s “public position”.

The Society expressed concern over Dr. Tydeman’s statement that he had received ‘“less-than-thinly-veiled hints” from British officials that his report should allow Spanish fishing in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.

They claim that if this is truly an issue of fishing, such an opinion should be based on scientific data regarding the state of our fisheries and not on wider political considerations, especially when these are taken by Britain in favour of Spain’s interests and against those of Gibraltar.