Scott urges Lochhead to fight for our fishermen (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale Liberal Democrats)

Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

Scott urges Lochhead to fight for our fishermen

December 1, 2010 4:36 PM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Fisheries Minister, Richard Lochhead, today refused to rule out allowing Faroe a substantial increase in mackerel quota.

In the annual Scottish Parliament fisheries debate he was responding to Shetland MSP, Tavish Scott, who said that a deal which rewarded Faroe for breaking an internationally negotiated settlement on mackerel was not acceptable.

Reporting that the fishing industry had shared their concerns over the Scottish Government negotiating position with him, Tavish Scott said, "I am concerned that the Scottish Government now thinks any deal is more important that no deal. That's preparing the ground for Faroe being rewarded for breaking the international agreement.

Attacking Iceland for prosecuting a mackerel fishery for which they had no agreed quota, to the detriment of the Scottish fleet, and noting the Faroese demand to double their agreed mackerel allocation, Tavish Scott had asked the Fisheries Minister "to confirm today that there is no way his Government will sign off any such figure."

He said, "Pelagic boats from Shetland to Peterhead and Fraserburgh expect this Government to stand on their side. So do I and so should this Parliament. There can be no deal that rewards Iceland and Faroe for their irresponsible behaviour."

Turning to the European Commission's whitefish quota proposals, he warmed that "Boats, processors and shore side businesses face a truly awful 2011 if the European Commission's quota proposals are agreed." He reminded the Fisheries

Referring to the reported scepticism of the EU Fisheries Commissioner about the Scottish Government's policy of a new initiative every year - Conservation credits - Cod avoidance trawls - CCTV on board - and now Catch quotas, he said, "Every initiative has been cited as a panacea for fishing's future. Yet during this 4 year Government forty one more Scottish boats are being decommissioned by the SNP. So many skippers ask me, if all these policies are working why are we losing boats, men and experience from the industry?"

Commenting on the Government's initiative for 2011, catch quotas, he said, "Yes, tackle discards. But 'no' to a so-called perfect fisheries control system that locks down an imperfect management regime. The Scottish Fisherman's Federation say this - 'without a fundamental overhaul of the single-species approach to mixed fisheries, catch quotas amount to a suicide pill'".

Tavish Scott added;

"I am very concerned that the Fisheries Minister appeard determined to force catch quotas on the Shetland and Scottish industry. Skippers and crews are telling me that that cannot happen unless there are fundamental changes to the quota regime.

Noting that the Minister used to rightly condemn the former EC Commissioner, Franz Fischler, for his obsession with cod, he said "the industry believes Mr Lochhead is in danger of making exactly the same mistake." Warning that 2011 looks to be a very tough year for Scottish boats, Tavish Scott urged the Minister to drop his proposals which cannot work and to work with the industry on those which can.