Scottish Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead has said in a press brief that European nations are ready for change in fisheries policy. Lochhead has returned from the EU’s Fisheries Council in Brussels, where the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has failed and that a new approach is required. He warned that there is tough challenge for Scotland to negotiate changes that will protect the country’s historic fishing rights and to return decision-making to Scotland.
According to Lochhead Scotland has been one of the CFP’s strongest critics and we are in the vanguard for change. He also said that the acknowledgement that top-down micro-management of Scotland’s rich fishing grounds has failed our fishing communities and damaged fish stocks is a huge step forward. He opined that Scotland should ensure its historic fishing opportunities are protected under any new arrangements to be agreed in the coming years.
Lochhead was overwhelmed to hear that the European Commission citing Scotland’s own measures as the way forward and this supports the Scottish Government’s view. He also opined that the Scottish government will continue to devote its energy to influencing the future of EU fisheries policy and to ensure that the UK Government and European Commission understand the importance of fishing to Scotland and the need for radical change.
