As the newly elected President it is a real pleasure for me to write the foreword for the Federation yearbook, and for posting on the Federation website. Grateful thanks are due from us all to my predecessor Alex West.

I take over at a time of cautious optimism in the industry. Several factors, including prices in the market and a balance in general terms between catching opportunity and fleet capacity are combining to create real signs of encouragement. Some vessel replacement is at last visible and the colleges which were facing the shutdown of fishing courses in the recent past now have full class registers.

The keyword for us is responsibility. We will apply it to several areas: it is our duty to make the most of the wonderful natural product that is the raw material for our industry by harvesting it for the good of the industry and the public. The human race must be fed and we play our part in that. It is of course our duty to do this sustainably; you will find no more willing partner in this process than the Scottish fishing industry. The package of conservation measures prepared for the 2007 autumn negotiations and beyond; enthusiastic participation as a core player in the Scottish Industry Science partnership; several applications from the industry for accreditation all add up to a consistently responsible approach to maintenance of a viable industry.

We have a new Scottish Government committed to raising the profile of our industry. We welcome this commitment and make one of own to continue to work with the government of the day to make the very most of our industry. Whilst there will always be risk in various forms, commercial viability is the present reality which must be protected and built upon. From this alone comes all the direct and indirect benefits of the industry: a profitable living for fishermen; support and income for the communities that the industry operates from; work and profit for all the links in the supply chain including the harbours, boatyards, chandlers, netmakers, markets and processors to name but a few.

As an industry we have done badly over the last few years with public image. Often the coverage of our endeavours – with some notable exceptions such as the ‘Trawlermen’ television series – is totally inaccurate and based on flawed science and information. A viable industry working hard to meet its responsibilities is sometimes portrayed as exactly the opposite. Given that not all of the stocks will be in perfect health all at the same time – such is the nature of an interactive ecosystem - it is the duty of us all to make sure that the real story – our knowledge of the stocks and willingness to harvest responsibility - is the one which the public sees and hears.

The coming year will present a new series of challenges, most notably the review of the cod recovery plan. It is essential that the industry ensures that the final measures agreed are workable and don’t place intolerable burdens on the Scottish fleet, not least because the next review may not be until 2011.

Similarly, it is widely acknowledged that current fisheries management regime is resulting in fishermen being forced to dump quantities of mature and marketable fish overboard. This is a tragic waste of a high quality product and it is a priority that viable solutions are found to this unnecessary problem.

For 2008 I wish you all a successful year of fishing or participation in whatever sector of the industry involves you; I assure you all that I will do my best to maximise the Federation contribution to that success.