RMT general secretary Bob Crow will board a fishing vessel at 12.30pm on Friday May 4 at St Katharine's Pier, London, and will be available for interview.

"Under EU fishing rules, Britain's inshore fishermen have had their fishing quotas mismanaged, while foreign vessels are overfishing UK inshore grounds by hoovering up thousands of tonnes of fish.

"The Common Fisheries Policy has become a by-word for unsustainable fishing, waste and environmental devastation, and it is time it came to an end.

"For sustainable fishing we must withdraw from the CFP and manage our affairs democratically, like Iceland, Norway and other countries, in the interests of our fishing communities and the environment," he said.

Southern North Sea Inshore Fisherman's Association secretary Martin Yorwarth welcomed RMT support for the protest against the EU quota system, which he described as "a complete disaster".

"Fishing quota mismanagement has meant that only a tiny percentage is held by bona fide inshore fishermen."Over 30 per cent of quota is held by 'quota traders' and the rest is divided up between larger fishing vessels and foreign supertrawlers sailing under the UK flag despite the fact they never land in this country," he said.