North Sea Fishing Ministers meet in Aberdeen to discuss the future of fisheries management, which included the call for a fundamental change in the management regime. Commenting on the result of the meeting Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong said that the meeting of Ministers and officials has produced a list of aspirations based upon a fundamental change to the way fisheries are managed.
He told that the main aim is to eliminate discards by counting quota against what is caught and not, as previously, what is landed. It is true that the Scottish fleet is in commercial distress and trying its hardest to make sustainable fishing a reality, management change to take account of the Scottish fleet’s efforts is sorely needed. He added that there is an urgent need of measures by politicians, government officials, the industry and the Commission to forge the rule changes that actually meet the aim of reducing discards while maintaining commercial viability for all of the reduced fleet.
