Letters / Questions that need answered by Marine Scotland
Fishing Forward’s Arlene Robertson is correct to criticise Marine Scotland’s inactivity when it comes to leaving EU fishing boats unregulated in Shetland waters while at the same time enforcing regulation with enthusiasm against the local fleet.
The question that needs answered is why is Marine Scotland acting in this way?
Marine Scotland carry out their enforcement duties on instructions from the Scottish Government. They are doing what they have been told to do!
The SNP part of the Scottish Government is looking ahead to when they think they will be negotiating for re-entry to the EU.
They want to keep EU member states on side by not regulating their fishing boats. The local SNP should be lobbying the Scottish Government to get on side with local fishing, their silence on this matter is remarkable.
The Green part of the Scottish Government wants to take us back to the Stone Age as they showed with their ill thought out HPMA policy.
There is a successful fishing industry that should be celebrated rather than finding obstacles to put in the way.
The fact that Ghost Fishing UK is having to come to Shetland waters to recover discarded nets should be of interest to the Greens, isn’t one of their things cleaning up the environment?
Who is discarding nets? The obvious organisation to ask is Marine Scotland. Well, apart from the fact that Marine Scotland do not regulate EU boats, those boats do whatever they want, and they know there will be no come back.
Brian Nugent
Secretary
Sovereignty.scot
Hamnavoe
