Letters / Please, do not speak on the fishing industry again
We are still waiting for an apology for all the inaccuracies Ms Burgess wrote in her MSP’s views column in the Shetland Times a few weeks back.
She frantically tries to backpedal to fudge the absolute rubbish she put out about the Shetland fishing industry in Shetland News on 15 February 2023.
She now pretends her inaccuracies, which were deeply offensive and dangerous, were to encourage passion – well she got passion, but it was rage from the fishing and salmon industry because of her acute ignorance.
She states that “I also realise from the response that people living and working in Shetland very much want a fully focussed Shetland column and I will bear this in mind in the future”.
I suggest she takes us for fools if she thinks we want her to write on any aspect of our fishing industry as she is completely out of touch and indeed has nothing to offer our fishermen, the eco system or the environment.
The saddest part is that we at Fishing Forward UK set up a meeting with her and our fishermen last year to try to get her to begin to understand the industry.
We calculated we had over 300 years’ experience of fishing in the room, so it should have been a privilege to have been exposed to such expertise. Alas it fell on deaf ears, and she did not take on board the important issues regarding sustainable fishing and how best to look after our oceans.
Ms Burgess states that “in terms of the issues related to international vessels, I have raised this with the Scottish Government and Marine Scotland, and will continue to do so”.
Well, that’s not good enough just to raise the issue we need action and we are waiting to hear the outcome of this! There lies the real harm to fish stocks and marine life – the unregulated fishing and dumping of rubbish by EU owned boats! So bizarre she didn’t mention this when she was giving her lecture on the fishing industry and its pitfalls.
So, we wait an apology and request that you do not speak on the fishing industry again, because you have proved yourself to be the real danger, along with Marine Scotland!
Arlene Robertson
PR Fishing Forward UK
