There has been a positive shift in the public perception of the fishing industry, thanks to fishermen enthusiastically embracing new policies and initiatives for the sustainable harvesting of fish stocks, Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, will tell a seminar at Fishing 2008 in Glasgow tomorrow (4 April).
The industry is working hard to enhance its image and in recent years has taken massive strides in adopting new and sustainable approaches to fishing.
“Scottish fishermen are proud to be leading the way in the development of sustainable fishing practices and working constructively with government and scientists,” Mr Armstrong will say.
“The fishing fleet is now at the right size to the available catching opportunity and has moved forward to a new era by adopting a range of new and imaginative measures for conserving stocks.
“We have moved towards a culture of working hand in hand with government and scientists. Scottish fishermen want to work with the grain, not against it.
“There is now a cautious optimism and it is heartening to see that there are a number of new replacement vessels now being built in Scotland.”
However, Mr Armstrong will caution that there are still a number of significant hurdles ahead, not least the excessive cost of fuel.
“The high cost of fuel is currently making life very difficult for fishermen and there is an urgent need for mitigation measures so as to ensure the continuing viability of the Scottish fishing fleet.”
