Alan Coghill, president of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, told guests attending the SFF’s annual dinner in Edinburgh last week that the continuing annual cuts in the number of days that fishing vessels can put to sea must be brought to an end.
He said that these cuts are jeopardising the very future of the Scottish fleet as they have put unbearable pressure on the fleet.
“With encouraging signs of fish stock recovery, it is now time that fisheries management is based on sensible and innovative measures that will secure a sustainable future,” Mr Coghill said.
Mr Coghill believes, that with the reform process of the Common Fisheries Policy now well underway, it is vital that the discredited and unworkable management regimes of the past are shelved once and for all and replaced by a new regional management system where fishermen are at the heart of the decision-making process.
He said that to ensure a profitable and sustainable future it is essential that Government and the industry works closely together – however, there have been worrying signs of divergence recently.
“I would appeal to the Scottish Government and their officials to work more closely with us because there has been some divergence in recent months, particularly with regards to discards policy, inshore matters and the intervention price for fish,” he said.
He also warned that “blatant misreporting” by the media is doing real harm to the fishing industry at a time when stocks are recovering and when a whole raft of innovative conservation measures are being adopted. It is for this reason that the SFF is now looking at developing strategies that will combat this flow of misinformation.
Mr Coghill also said that it is essential that Iceland and the Faroes reach a sensible deal with the EU and Norway on the international management of the North East Atlantic mackerel stock.
