To prevent the fleet being forced to remain tied to the quay next year, the Shetland Fishermen’s Association is lobbying the UK and Scottish Governments over 2026 cod quotas.
The thrust of the argument is that the zero catch cod quota advised by ICES would be a disaster for everyone whose livelihood depends on fishing for mixed groundfish – of which cod is a key element. A cod shutdown would effectively prohibit any fishing for whitefish species.
‘When it comes to defending the legitimate interests of the fleet, we have always sought to make our case in the strongest terms possible to government, and this latest situation is no different,’ said SFA executive officer Daniel Lawson.
‘We will be striving to get politicians and fisheries managers to recognise that the ICES advice on Northern Shelf cod is based on some highly questionable assumptions and to listen to our plea for a more cautious and evidence-based approach to protect both the cod stock and fishing communities. We will also be working hard to ensure that the Norwegian and EU governments understand that further quota reductions would not do anything to encourage growth in the cod stock.’
The association warns that drastic TAC cuts would be a heavy blow to North Sea fishing communities, particularly in Scotland, where cod supports £310 million in fishing opportunities.
It also claims that a much-reduced TAC also risks undermining the landing obligation by forcing vessels towards discards in such a mixed whitefish fishery, such as around Shetland, where cod is unavoidable.
The alternative would be to stop fishing, tie up, and go out of business, SFA states.
SFA has put forward a number of proposals, including extended spawning ground closures across the North Sea and enhanced real-time closures to protect juvenile cod, voluntary 30% TAC reductions for haddock and whiting to reduce cod bycatch in mixed fisheries, and TAC constraint to limit annual quota fluctuations, ensuring some stability for fishing businesses.
This comes with a proposal to double the scientific quota available for cod studies through industry contribution, to help resolve the scientific uncertainties which plague the Northern Shelf cod stock assessment.
