Fishermen on west coast 'facing crisis'

Published on Tuesday 4 November 2008 18:52

MUCH of the fishing industry off Scotland's west coast is facing a devastating total shutdown, MSPs will be told today.

European officials are recommending a zero catch for cod, haddock and whiting – the mainstay catches of the local white-fish fleet – next year.

More significantly, the European Fisheries Commission is calling for langoustine catches, which were worth 65 million last year, to be limited to boats fitted with separator grids to divide the prawns from other species – but that is equipment which no Scottish prawn trawlers carry.

There are mourning fears that, unless a compromise can be found, the entire langoustine and white fish fisheries will face a complete shutdown next year – denying local skippers access to catches that are the lifeblood of fishing communities.

The crisis will be highlighted at Holyrood when industry leaders, headed by Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, address the Scottish Parliament's rural affairs and environment committee today.

Mr Armstrong said "an extremely difficult set of negotiations" lay ahead at next month's meeting of the EU Fisheries Council, where 2009's catch quotas will be set.

He said: "The current EU proposals are impracticable and would have a major impact on west coast communities. It would also have the unfortunate effect of displacing fishing effort into the North Sea.

"Nobody is any doubt that whiting, cod and haddock on the west coast are in poor state. But for the first time the advice is for a zero catch.

"The commission is calling for a cessation of fishing from west of Shetland down to Stranraer.

"And, despite the fact that langoustine stocks are in fine health, skippers will only be allowed to catch langoustine if their boats are equipped with a separator grid. A separator grid is not used in our fisheries and there are no grids available. It just isn't an appropriate system for our fisheries, with the way the boats are set up. As we stand, that looks like a shutdown of the west coast fishery because our boats can't put in separator grids."

Mr Armstrong said he would be seeking the support of MSPs for alternative proposals that would allow Scottish prawn boats to use selective fishing gear to separate the white fish and langoustine catches and allow the langoustine fishery to continue next year.

He added: "The consequences of the current proposals are dreadful. The langoustine catch on the west coast last year was worth 65 million. The smaller boats operating the prawn fishery, who have nowhere to go because of their size, will simply fail. And those larger boats which can move will go to the east coast, where their presence will not be welcome."

Mr Armstrong said the restrictions would hit some 35 white-fish trawlers and 150 prawn vessels, based along the west coast.