Struan Stevenson: We must repel 'Viking raiders' to protect our fishing fleet

Published on Wednesday 18 August 2010 15:19

Some 1,000 years ago, bloodthirsty Viking warriors plied the high seas around the Scottish coast. Sadly, it seems history is repeating itself. Today, their descendants are intent on robbing Scotland of one of our most precious marine resources: our mackerel fishery.

Modern-day "Viking raiders" Iceland and the Faroe Islands have moved to grab the lion's share of this year's mackerel catch, massively increasing their quotas against scientific advice and in breach of international agreements, threatening not just the health of fish stocks but also of Scotland's fishing industry and recalling the Cod War of the 1970s.

It is perhaps no surprise that anger among Scottish fishermen has bubbled over into "wildcat" blockades, most recently on Tuesday, when 50 trawlermen in Peterhead prevented a Faroese boat from offloading its cargo.

European fisheries commissioner Maria Damanaki has described the actions of Iceland and the Faroes as "anarchic" and "unreasonable". Her strident language reflects the fact that Iceland, in particular, is in a weak position. Following the collapse of its banking-led economy, it has come running to the European Union, begging to gain access to its lucrative crutch funding.

Amid a general weakening of our fishing sector, the Scottish pelagic fleet - which catches mainly herring and mackerel - has been something of a success story. Mackerel landings alone are worth 135 million a year to the Scottish economy - about a third of the country's entire catch value.

But the increases demanded by Iceland and Faroe - to 130,000 and 85,000 tonnes respectively - threaten to undo years of sustainable fishing. If all of the countries involved catch their quotas, 772,000 tons of mackerel will be caught this year, 35 per cent more than recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, which advises the EU. This could cause immense damage to mackerel stocks in the North Sea and send Scotland's pelagic fleet into a spiral of decline.

In my view, if Iceland and the Faroes press ahead with their illegal catch targets, we should suspend the fisheries agreement, introduce a ban on all seafood products, close our ports to their vessels and make this issue a "make or break" item in Iceland's EU-accession talks.

lStruan Stevenson is an MEP for Scotland and is the senior vice-president of the European Parliament's fisheries committee