SFF anger at ‘lost opportunity’ following EC Fish Council decision to continue with draconian West c

The initially encouraging decision today (20 November) by the EC Fish Council not to rush through a new set of technical conservation rules for EU fishing vessels – by sending the worst of the proposed technical measures back to the drawing board - has been seriously damaged by the failure to create a sensible set of measures for the West coast.

The decision to continue with draconian catch composition rules for whitefish vessels on the Scottish West coast for up to a further 18 months has resulted in a major blow for parts of the Scottish fishing fleet, according to SFF chief executive Bertie Armstrong.

He said: “The last hurdle in the talks process – the creation of a sensible suite of measures for the West Coast of Scotland to replace last year’s unworkable set - brought the process to a grinding halt for Scotland. An opportunity to create a truly appropriate set of management measures for the West of Scotland, which would help the industry contribute to sustainability and reduce the folly of discards, was lost in the mess of the political process.

 “With the full support of the UK and Scottish governments working together, the goal was in sight.  We hoped, at last, for some meaningful local control to be passed for industry, scientists and government to work together to manage the West coast fishery in an effective manner.  This hope was dashed by an awful system of political wrangling, which had nothing whatsoever to do with sustainable fishing.  The outcome will continue to needlessly affect the livelihoods of fishermen and fail miserably to do the best job for stock sustainability.  An opportunity has been lost and government must now act swiftly, along with industry, to see what can be done to change this sorry state of affairs.”

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For more information:

Bertie Armstrong, SFF chief executive:

Mobile: 0780 1626822.

Keith Broomfield: tel: 07890781151