DO not forget the interests of fishermen based around the Scottish Borders - that's the plea from Border MP Michael Moore.
He has called on the government to ensure that the economic interests of coastal fishing communities are taken into account during the discussions to reform the rules governing the UK and European fishing industries.
Questioning UK fisheries minister Huw Irranca-Davies MP during an annual debate on fisheries in the House of Commons, Mr Moore pressed him to recognise the importance of a financially sustainable fisheries sector to the future of many small communities in Berwickshire.
In response, Mr Irranca-Davies accepted that there is a need for greater discussion of how the long-term future of fishing in Scotland can best be secured, suggesting that fishermen in Berwickshire should be given greater control over production and the supply chain to boost their income.
Moore said after the debate: 'In recent years, our local fishing industry has struggled to remain viable in the face of poorly designed but rigorously implemented and enforced rules that protect neither the economic nor the environmental well-being of the Berwickshire coastline.
'Although the minister’s recognition that more thought needs to be put into how legislative changes will affect the prosperity of fishing communities in the Borders is welcome, his words will be meaningless unless they now translate into real action to help fishermen in Berwickshire and their families.'
Earlier, he had welcomed the decision of the European Council to postpone talks on controversial new technical measures to govern the UK fishing industry but has warned that further reform is essential if fishing in the Borders is to remain economically viable.
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