News / Fish talks going well
SCOTTISH fishing leaders were celebrating early as the annual December round of negotiations on quotas and days at sea commenced on Tuesday.
Scottish fishing secretary Richard Lochhead said a victory had been achieved at the start of the talks with 26 out of 27 European fishing ministers voting not cut fishermen’s days at sea any further.
Lochhead said that there was also optimism that a proposed 20 per cent cut in the cod quota would not materialise.
“For the first time in many years our fishermen will be able to sleep a little easier this Christmas with the threat of a further cut in days at sea and also a 20 per cent cut in cod quota fading,” Lochhead said.
“This is a very significant and welcome stance by ministers fed up with lawyers telling them why common sense can’t prevail.
“The lawyers who said there was no way round this have been rebuffed by fishing ministers, who have run out of patience with a plan that is so incredibly inflexible.
“While there is still a long way to go and we are still keen to secure more flexibilities including on a number of west coast issues, it is a huge success that at last common sense has won out over legal wrangles and red tape in Brussels.”
Northern isles MP Alistair Carmichael was swift to welcome the news the UK government had helped to blocked the cuts.
“This is welcome news. Fishermen in the isles have argued for years that arbitrary cuts in quota and effort made no sense whatsoever.
“Whether you are looking at the environmental impact of these cuts or the economic consequences on our local fleet, the automatic reductions that had been proposed under the Cod Recovery Plan made no sense.
“It is essential that decisions on quota and effort are based on the best available scientific evidence, not the detail of a plan that was not really fit for purpose when it was introduced and has not aged well.
“This was one of the issues that was raised with the UK fisheries minister when he visited Shetland recently.
“It would seem that he took the points that local fisherman made to heart. There is much work that remains to be done but this is a positive development.”
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