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English/Nat A mini-armada of British fishing boats have sailed into London, and thousands of fishermen attended a protest rally in a bid to save Britain's fishing industry. The rally is part of a campaign aimed at getting the British government to withdraw from the European Union's unpopular Common Fisheries Policy. London's famous Tower Bridge opens to allow the flotilla of British fishing boats to sail up the River Thames into the heart of the capital. Thousands of angry fishermen have invaded London by sea and land to press their demands for a better deal for the industry. The mini-armada of banner-bedecked fishing boats are on the way to the centre of UK Government in London's Westminster for a protest rally. Coaches and special trains are bringing others from fishing ports all over the country. More than 3-thousand fishermen are expected at London's Central Hall for the industry's biggest national demonstration against the controversial Common Fisheries Policy to date. The beam trawler Marie Claire, built to carry troops in the Second World War, before its conversion to a fishing boat, was one of four trawlers from Cornwall in south-western England which made the protest voyage. SOUNDBITE: "They fell unfairly treated because we don't have any more than 14 per cent of the total annual catch from around our shores and I think it's very unfair. And most of the fish comes from around our shores, that's Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of course, and it's time something was done. I think possibly the possibility of coming out of the Common Fisheries Policy if we can." SUPER CAPTION: Tony Stevenson, Cornish trawler owner Other vessels from south Devon and Hampshire on the southern coast, and from the River Thames estuary, swelled the protest fleet to around 30 craft. Some of the smaller craft are hoping to sail up to Parliament at Westminster, where skippers are planning to let off fireworks and flares. The rally is part of the ongoing Save Britain's Fish Campaign aimed at persuading the British government to withdraw from the unpopular Common Fisheries Policy. Many politicians of all parties sympathise with the fishermen's case: SOUNDBITE: "We're all agreed that the Common Fisheries Policy is a disaster. It's a disaster we should never have accepted in the first place. Why do we treat it like it's some kind of sacred text?" SUPER CAPTION: MP Austin Mitchell, Labour The fishermen say the Police is weighted against their interests, and want Britain to regain sovereignty and control over its 200 miles of coastal waters. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ecac8b36ba0a2ef194a7179550521e49 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork