According to WWF Scotland the fishing fleet of Scotland does have a bright future provided key whitefish stocks are given the right protection. This is the optimistic assessment of WWF Scotland which has just published a survey on the state of some of the most important commercial catch species such as cod and haddock.
In the latest statistics WWF Scotland’s marine policy officer, Dr Mireille Thom, said that 2010 was a year of “ups and downs” for the Scottish industry. On the plus side she said one of the major events was North Sea haddock achieving Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) accreditation for sustainability.
Despite some strict measures by the Scotland fleet there were still problems over cod stocks failing to recover sufficiently to allow an increase in quota next year. WWF Scotland welcomed progressive measures to conserve stocks. But it warned that the amount of haddock being dumped off the west of Scotland because they were too big, or too small, was “unacceptably high”.
As per the statement of WWF there should be better scientific knowledge of monkfish, a relatively new species taken by the Scottish whitefish fleet. Dr Thom said that conservation measures taken by the industry have been rewarded in the North Sea, where the haddock fishery gained Marine Stewardship Council certification. She further said that Scotland’s fishing industry is part of the fabric of the nation and has a profitable future ahead of it, but only if long-term conservation measures are strengthened.
