A thinktank has hit out at subsidies to fishing, citing the figure of $35 billion (€25.8 billion) worldwide. It seems a lot, but I have to admit that my first thought was so what?

Agriculture and other essential businesses worldwide are subsidized on a level that dwarfs the comparatively minuscule subsidies that go to fishing, not to mention the colossal subsidies that find their way to producers of fossil fuels around the world.

Some industries would not exist without subsidies, making them essentially eye-wateringly expensive job-creation schemes.

Even