A single Dutch ship is scooping up a quarter of England’s fishing quota every year and landing it in Holland, it has emerged.

Government statistics reveal the Cornelis Vrolijk, a giant 370ft trawler, holds 23 per cent of the limited fishing permits allocated to England by the EU.

Campaigners last night called for loopholes to be closed so that domestic boats have more access to Britain’s tightly controlled fishing stocks.

Government statistics reveal the Cornelis Vrolijk, a giant 370ft trawler, holds 23 per cent of the limited fishing permits allocated to England by the EU

Some 43 per cent of England’s fishing quota is held by foreign fishing businesses, according to figures published by Defra, the environment department.

And an astonishing 32 per cent is held by five huge ships, the list reveals.

European rules dating back to 1999 means that foreign-owned boats are allowed to access the UK quota - as long as half the crew is domiciled in Britain or half the catch is landed in a UK port.

The firm which owns the 6,000-tonne Cornelis Vrolijk last night defended their position, insisting they run two British offices, pay UK corporation tax and employ 55 British fisherman.

But campaigners say the fact the boat’s entire catch of mackerel, herring and blue whiting is unloaded in the Dutch port of IJmuiden and taken to a storage facility in Amsterdam makes a mockery of the quota system.

Small British fishing vessels make up 80 per cent of the English fleet - but have just 4 per cent of the quota.

Kirk Stribling, a fisherman from Aldeburgh, Suffolk, said: ‘The Government is not giving a fair share of quota to local fishermen who look after the sea and our communities.’

Sarah North, head of oceans campaign at Greenpeace, added: ‘The Government must reclaim our quota from the vice-like grip of big business and give more of it to local low impact fishers to rebuild fish stocks and revitalise our crumbling coastal communities.’

European rules dating back to 1999 means that foreign-owned boats are allowed to access the UK quota - as long as half the crew is domiciled in Britain or half the catch is landed in a UK port (File photo)

But Stewart Harper, managing director of the North Atlantic Fishing Company, the English subsidiary of the Dutch firm which owns the Cornelis Vrolijk, insisted there is no British market for the low-value fish he is selling abroad.

He added: ‘Although we are part of a Dutch-owned European group we operate two offices in the UK and we provide work for 55 British fishermen domiciled in the UK and eight people in our offices and have an annual wage bill in excess of £2million. We pay UK corporation tax on any profits we make and all of the other costs of UK establishment.’

A Defra spokesman said: ‘We value our local inshore fishing communities - in 2014 we increased their potential catch by 720 tonnes and continue to take steps to maximise use of the UK’s quota.

‘Any company applying to fish our quota must demonstrate a clear economic link to this country and all large UK flagged vessels, the great majority of which are UK crewed, make their catches in offshore waters that cannot be reached by local inshore fishermen.