EU fisheries talks plan to roll out Scotland’s innovative approach to sustaining fishing grounds. Richard Lochhead, SNP Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs has applauded the EU’s plans to adopt Scottish fishing plan as part of the new Cod Recovery Plan agreed in Brussels. He commented that this plan was thrashed out in talks over the past 24 hours and builds on the approach set out in the Conservation Credits Scheme, pioneered by the Scottish sector in 2008.
Lochead expressed that the trailblazing approach to sustainable fisheries management adopted by Scotland’s fishermen has been recognised and rewarded. He mentioned that it is better to land good marketable fish than throw it dead overboard. The agreement allows responsibility for much day-to-day fisheries management to be handed back to member states, and it rewards Scotland for the innovative approaches our industry has adopted as well as for past sacrifices.
It is told that the new target for reducing cod mortality is going to be extremely challenging, thanks to the Scots fleet leading Europe when it comes to fisheries conservation, a fact that is now widely acknowledged. The cod recovery plan which has been agreed today adopts the same approach to effort allocation as the Scottish Conservation Credits Scheme.
