FINAL negotiations for 2011 fishing opportunities Balance between stock conservation and maintaining viability at Brussels negotiations
FINAL negotiations for 2011 fishing opportunities commence in Brussels tomorrow (December 13), where Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead says he will seek the best possible deal for Scotland.
Following the EU-Norway negotiations last week, shared North Sea fishery quotas have already been agreed and Scotland has secured an expansion of the catch quota scheme . The AgriFish Council meeting this week will decide fishing quotas for other important North Sea stocks - such as prawns, monkfish and megrim - as well as the West Coast fishery.
Richard Lochhead said: "At this Council my key aim is to strike the right balance between stock conservation and ensuring Scotland's fishing industry remains commercially viable, as we continue to move towards more sustainable fishing practices.
"As ever, we will be conducting these negotiations against a very challenging background not least the bizarre machinations of the Common Fisheries Policy as well as some difficult scientific advice.
"The Council also provides the opportunity to reflect on the recent breakdown in talks with the Faroes for a new international agreement on mackerel which is deeply frustrating. We are again facing a situation where this valuable stock will be overfished, due to the irresponsible actions of the Faroes and Iceland. I will now be calling on the EU to make every effort to keep the negotiations open and failing that to take strong action that makes clear this behaviour is unacceptable.
"Through last week's agreement between the EU and Norway, some decisions on vital stocks have already been taken. We were able to minimise reductions in landings for the Scottish industry, while securing an expansion of our catch quota scheme. Unlike traditional quotas, catch quotas allow for all fish caught to be landed and fishermen can earn more from their catch without wasteful discards.
"Even while working within the discredited Common Fisheries Policy, I am committed to seeking the best deal possible for Scotland. I will be fighting hard for our fishermen this week, including pressing for a fundamental review of the Cod Recovery Plan. While these negotiations will be challenging, I believe the sacrifices made by Scottish fishermen should be recognised and rewarded."
The Scottish Fisheries Federation (SFF) explain that while majority of quotas have already been set at previous international talks there will still be room to manoeuvre at tomorrow’s EU Fish Council to get a better deal on some key fish stocks.
Amongst those of significance for the Scots whitefish fleet is monkfish – which is in line for a 15% cut. The SFF will be arguing strongly that the cut is unjustified and should be reversed.
Headline figures for 2011 include proposed cuts for prawns (Nephrops) – a mainstay species for the Scottish fleet – of eight per cent cut for the North Sea and 15 per cent on the West coast of Scotland. West coast haddock and cod are facing large cuts, but for whiting and herring in the North Sea a 15% and 21% increase respectively has been agreed.
North Sea haddock is in line for a 5% cut with cod being reduced by 20%. There will be the provision for fishermen to catch extra cod equal to 12% of the reduced TAC (total allowable catch) if they participate in the trial ‘catch quota’ scheme, where boats land all the cod they catch.
The completion of recent negotiations between the EU and Norway saw an expansion of this catch quota scheme for cod in the North Sea to enable more Scottish fishermen to participate. The scheme – often dubbed ‘catch less, land more’ - allows fishermen to land all the cod they catch until the quota is taken up and is designed to reduce discards.
According to Bertie Armstrong, SFF chief executive, once the Fish Council has concluded this Tuesday, the onus will be on both fishermen and the Scottish Government to try and find ways to tailor the regulations to meet the complex environment of mixed fisheries that the fishing fleet operates in.
“As the Scottish Government recently stated, catch quotas do not provide the full answer to the problems facing the Scottish fishing fleet, but they do have a role to play,” he said.
“However, for catch quotas to provide real and much wider benefit, there needs to be an adjustment in the management regulations so as to take into account the fishing environment that boats work in.
“Such rule changes must begin with successful innovation at national level followed by strong political pressure for change. We have in Scotland seen much development for which we have yet to reap a reward in terms of more effective regulation. It has never been more necessary for the fishing industry and government to work together to formulate and deliver management regulations that provide a better fit for the operational conditions. This work must begin as soon as we have the final output from the December Fish Council meeting – let us make that the hallmark of a successful 2011.”
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