According to fishing industry officials a review of the management of one of Scotland’s national assets, its fish quota, will be the focus of a consultation meeting in Eyemouth. It is said that the new proposals intend to put fishermen at the heart of fish quota management, provide greater certainty to fishermen in Scotland through access quota, and help strengthen coastal communities for generations to come. The consultation meeting will be chaired by officials from the Scottish Government’s marine directorate and will be held on Friday August 1, 2008.
Commenting on the meeting Richard Lochhead, Fisheries Secretary, said that fishing provides the lifeblood of many of Scotland’s communities and sustains tens of thousands of jobs. He added that the authority should consider what best it can offer for the safeguard of the fishing communities’ birthright for future generations. He also said that the arrangements governing fishing rights are crucial as they provide access to our rich fishing grounds. There must be benefits for the current generation of fishermen but we need to ensure that these benefits are available to future generations as well, opined Lochhead.
It is noticed that these proposals provide arrangements tailored to Scottish circumstances, and have been carefully designed to safeguard Scotland’s fishing rights while allowing close working with the rest of the UK to continue. There are many recommendations made in the new proposals to safeguard Scotland’s traditional fishing rights for now and the future.
