MSP: Scots quango ‘helping sell Icelandic fish’

THE Seafish industry body for Scotland is promoting fish from Iceland rather than that caught by Scottish fishermen, it was claimed at a debate in Holyrood yesterday.

Liberal Democrat MSP Tavish Scott highlighted a Seafish-backed advertising poster campaign in Scotland’s fish and chip shops that promotes what it says is fish from the “sustainable fishing grounds of Iceland and the Barents Sea”.

The Shetland MSP called on Scotland’s fisheries minister
Richard Lochhead to use his powers over the Edinburgh-based industry quango to investigate his claims.

Mr Scott said: “Why is Seafish, the quango responsible for the promotion of fish as a healthy part of the diet, spending advertising money on fish from Iceland and the Barents Sea?

“It is tough on the Scottish industry who watch Iceland break international laws to illegally catch mackerel to now find an industry promotion body based in Edinburgh is helping sell
Icelandic fish into our markets.”

Mr Lochhead, speaking during the Holyrood debate, said: “It’s important that we do get a fair deal for Scotland’s farmers and fishermen.”