There was fury in fishing ports around Scotland today after Brussels bureaucrats called for more savage quota cuts and said conservation measures were not protecting cod stocks..
European Commission proposals for catching opportunities in 2011 delivered grim proposals for the fleet and skippers warned that may of them would not survive another belt-tightening year.
On the West Coast of Scotland they are facing a 50% cut for Haddock and 15% cut for prawns and monkfish.
Catch limits for jointly managed North Sea stocks will be decided during talks with Norway soon., but a 90% quota cut for prawns is looming.
Mallaig and North West Fishermen’s Association John Hermes said the latest European Commission plans would leave many fishermen in despair.
“If you want to see grown me cry, then just walk around our fishing ports after this” he said.
“I just don’t know how the industry can go on with cut after cut and we don’t seem to have anyone who can negotiate for us in sandy meaningful way. It appals me that they are asking our fishermen to this again”.
North east skipper John Buchan owner of the Peterhead trawler Fairline called the proposals “Preposterous” He added: “They are absolutely ludicrous”.
Her said severe fishing curbs led only to more fish being thrown back into the sea dead-as a result-smaller quotas in the never ending spiral of deep cuts.
West Coast of Scotland fishing grounds were saved from large-scale closures last year but measures agreed as an “emergency” alternative have made life very difficult for the local fleet.
The Scottish Government had trumpeted the merits of various industry-led conservation initiatives in recent years and is now pushing for a new system that would allow fishermen to land more of what they catch.
North Sea Haddock became the latest Scottish caught species to earn a Marine Stewardship Council stamp of approval for sustainable fishing recently.
However it seems Scotland’s conservation efforts have yet to win over fisheries chiefs in Brussels.
The EC said in its verdict on the North Sea.” Closures and cod-avoidance schemes have not been enough to protect the stock and have had little impact on fishing patterns. Discussions will have to be held on redressing this situation”.
Fishing Rules for 2011 will be decided at December’s Fisheries Council in Brussels.
Scottish Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead MSP SNP said the annual merry-go-roind in the Belgian capital was going to be a “Tough as ever”.
He added “We will be taking the issue with advice for some key stocks, where we will be demanding that Scotland’s sacrifice is rewarded and recognised”.
Aberdeen based Fishermen’s Association secretary Roddy McColl said 41 trawlers were already leaving the Scottish Fleet because of a lack of quota and days at sea.
He said: “ Many in the industry were disillusioned by a system “more akin to a dictatorship than a democracy”.
Scottish fishermen contribute so much to stock recovery, yet they receive very little in terms of tangible reward.
