Fishermen's leaders in plea over catch quotas

Published on Monday 6 December 2010 16:20

Fishing leaders have complained about the scale of "retribution" the fleet faces from ever-decreasing catch allowances.

The Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) said efforts to improve the industry and achieve targets were met with limited recognition or reward.

The concerns were set out in a letter to ministers and officials in Scotland, the UK and European Union.

SFF chief executive Bertie Armstrong said the "easy half" of reforms has been covered but that complex regulations must be overhauled to ensure the security of the Scottish fleet.

His comments follow a decision to extend the "catch quota" scheme, allowing skippers to land more fish rather than discard them.

Mr Armstrong said: "The SFF has made it clear from the beginning that without a fundamental overhaul of the single-species approach to mixed fisheries, catch quotas equate to a suicide pill - the potentially perfect compliance device applied to an unworkable set of rules."

Such a "skewed approach" risks damage to the industry, he said, unless wider rules were changed. The SFF raised four points for focus over the next year, covering efforts to reduce the size of the fleet - now at its lowest level - and improve conservation of the seas.

It said the whitefish fleet was suffering particularly badly.