Minister ready to agree to no-fishing zones

Published on Sunday 14 December 2003 00:00

SCOTLAND’S negotiating team at crucial EU fishing talks is willing to allow Scottish crews to be banned from trawling large areas of the North Sea, as part of efforts to save dwindling cod stocks.

Ross Finnie, the Scottish fisheries minister, will this week offer to set up no-fishing zones as part of a deal to allow the Scots fishing industry to catch more haddock - the staple of fish suppers north of the Border - and more prawns.

Satellite reconnaissance will spy on vessels in an effort to ensure skippers do not break the rules. Stocks of haddock are at a 30-year high, and prawn stocks are healthy, but because cod and haddock often swim together, scientists have argued skippers should not catch haddock or prawns because of the risk of catching cod.

Cod stocks are close to an all-time low, and scientists fear North Sea cod could die out altogether. Scottish fishermen and ministers believe the no-fishing zones, which they refer to as ‘spatial management’ would allow cod stocks to replenish.

Under the rules, crews would either be completely banned from fishing the areas, or only be allowed to trawl during certain times of the year.

Outside the no-fishing zones, crews would be allowed to cast their nets for haddock and prawns. The Scots argue that even if they caught cod while seeking haddock or prawns, the effect on cod stocks would be made up for by the fact that fishing was banned in other areas. A Scottish Executive insider close to Finnie said: "We shall be arguing for spatial management at the talks.

"Up to now cod and haddock quotas have always been linked. What we want to do is de-couple the cod quota from fishing for haddock and prawns and allow our industry to catch the haddock which is undoubtedly out there."

So far the proposals have only received a half-hearted response from the European Commission, which will attempt to thrash out a deal at the key talks to begin in Brussels on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Franz Fischler, the EU fisheries commissioner, said: "We are aware of the proposals and we are in talks with ministers, but we believe there are a number of problems." These included worries about whether young cod would be caught in fishing gear designed to catch haddock and whether the plans were enforceable.

Brussels is concerned crews going through no-fishing zones on the way to an area where trawling will be allowed will be too tempted to cast their nets in the exclusion zones, and so defeat their purpose.

However, Hamish Morrison, chief executive of the Scottish Fisherman’s Federation, claimed offenders could easily be detected by satellite ‘spies-in-the-sky’.

From January 1, all vessels of 18 metres or over must carry equipment allowing their movements to be tracked from the sky. From the beginning of 2005, the equipment must be carried by trawlers of 15 metres or more. Morrison said: "It would be pretty easy to catch a boat fishing in an exclusion area. They normally steam at about nine or 10 knots, but they trawl at just two knots. The difference is obvious."

However, he fears that in return for higher haddock and prawn quotas, Brussels might insist on a Draconian ‘days at sea’ scheme which would only allow Scottish boats to fish for as few as 10 days a month.