The virtual shutdown of key fishing sectors, as proposed by the European Commission, could be the death knell for the industry on Britain's east coast.

Fishermen's representatives claim their livelihood is being sacrificed for the benefit of their counterparts on the continent, and insist the real reason is politics, not conservation.

Scarborough's Fred Normandale, a skipper for 20 years, said yesterday: "The stocks are in better shape than they were last year, but even though we use larger mesh nets than anyone else in Europe we are going to be stopped. "Our fishing industry is a shadow of what it was 20 years ago, so where are all the boats that are supposed to be damaging the stocks? They are in Europe's imagination."

He added: "If what is being proposed goes through it will knock out the British fleet and there seems to be nothing we can do."

However a bitter EC was yesterday blaming EU governments and fishermen themselves for the shutdown of key cod, haddock and whiting sectors which now looks inevitable.

Fisheries commissioner Franz Fischler told a press conference in Brussels that the fishing situation had never been worse.

He said the Commission had a moral responsibility to protect fishermen but could not prevent proposals to shut down not only all key cod fishing areas in EU waters next year but also fishing for haddock, whiting and any other species which threaten to net cod as a by-catch.

Britain's fisheries minister Elliot Morley met industry leaders yesterday to discuss the crisis and said afterwards they had to work together to find a solution which recognised the needs of the fleet but also recognised the need to act on scientific advice.