Herring fishermen hail the conservation success that brought back the stocks of herring from the brink. The future of Scottish fleet is safe as the depleted herring stocks rise again. It is told that a few years ago the herring of Scotland was on the edge of extinction because of over fishing that has threatened to put the livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen in danger and bring financial hardship to many north-east coastal communities.
After strict conservation measures it appears herring and mackerel are once again back on the menu for consumers as stocks of both species have been, or are about to be, declared sustainable. It is fact that the Scottish pelagic fleet became the first in the world to win the right to carry the coveted Marine Stewardships Council eco-label for herring this summer. It is also expected that the mackerel fishery will follow suit in the new year.
As the fears continue for other fish stocks within the North Sea the multi-million pound boats of the Scottish pelagic fleet operating out of Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Shetland are reaping the harvest of years of conservation co-operation. Derek Duthie, Secretary of the Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group which represents about 25 boats, each with a crew of around 15 men, informed that mackerel is now one of the biggest fish stocks in the UK. He added that as an industry we recognise people don’t just take what we see for granted, as far as how many fish there are in the sea and how sustainable they are, so we have been working on having our fisheries assessed by a certifying body under the Marine Stewardship Council standard.
