The November European Agriculture and Fisheries Council gets underway in Brussels today.
It is set to discuss the Cod Recovery Plan as well as the crucial EU-Norway fisheries negotiations, before turning to the Common Agriculture Policy Health Check on Wednesday and Thursday.
Ahead of talks on a new Cod Recovery Plan, Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
“Scotland has the greatest stake in the outcome on the negotiations over the future of cod stocks. It is absolutely vital that any new plan recognises the trail blazing success delivered by Scots fishermen over the past year and rewards their efforts.
“Cod stocks are going in the right direction thanks to the sacrifices and commitment from our fleet.
“We are seeking an outcome that allows our fishermen to land more of what they catch rather than having to dump it overboard, but at the same time promotes measures that reduce the amount of stock taken from the sea in the first place. A “land more, catch less” approach is essential.
“It is also important that any measures agreed for cod do not have unintended consequences for other stocks given that the North Sea is a mixed fishery. We will be pressing Europe to avoid viewing substantial cuts in days at sea for the fleet as some kind of easy solution when in actual fact it would inflict unjustified economic damage on our fleet and onshore sector as well. As Scotland has shown this year, there are much better ways of safeguarding stocks.”
