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Mike Park |
THE Scottish White Fish Producers Association (SWFPA) is calling on the Scottish Government to stand firm against further proposed cuts in the number of days that vessels can go to sea.
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s well attended, important committee meetings, Association Chief Executive Mike Park said: “My members are clear, we can no longer sit back and watch the demise of the Scottish fishing sector under the guise of cod recovery. If the proposed reductions are implemented it would mean that each vessel could only put to sea for four days a fortnight; this is an outrageous position to be imposed on Europe’s foremost sustainable fishing region.”
The focus of anger is on the Cod Recovery Plan which continues to reduce the numbers of days that vessels can be out of port by 15% annually until such times as the stock reaches previously high levels. Clearly, a point will be reached where fishing has little impact on the stock due to the inescapable fact that the plan will have wiped out the fishermen. The plan is currently under review and has been highly criticised for its approach on effort reductions.
Chairman of the Nephrops Committee, Jimmy Buchan said: “Our meeting yesterday was pretty intense, fishermen are straight talkers. The message I took from the meeting was that our members are looking to the Scottish Government to bang the table of Brussels and say this madness has gone far enough.”
SWFPA say there are clear and justifiable reasons for calling a halt to future effort reductions. A plan that affects every sector in the same way irrespective of their effect on cod is far too broad in its application, and given that we are going through a review where immense criticism has focussed on its content it is only fitting that we call a halt until such times as we plan an alternative approach.
Association Chairman, David Milne commented: “The Association will be writing to Cabinet Secretary, Richard Lochhead, in the strongest possible terms making the point that this should be a priority for the December Fisheries Council and that in the process of trying to deliver the necessary change that he seeks the support of both the UK Government and other Member States.”
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