The Scottish government has published a new report on the potential economic impact of mobile fishing gear restrictions on its inshore fisheries.
After assessing a number of different scenarios, the research found that there could be net benefits to Scotland as a result of the gear restrictions, although it suggests these would be outside the fisheries sector.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman told World Fishing & Aquaculture: “This is a substantial piece of independent research into the potential impact of various management measures. The report is based on various assumptions and has generated some very complex models that suggest that introducing mobile gear restrictions out to three nautical miles could generate longer-term economic benefits for wider coastal communities, particularly in the south west and east of Scotland."
She pointed out this sort of research is designed to help inform policy-making and is extremely useful for Government and external stakeholders to understand issues such as the potential impact on people’s livelihoods, which are clearly very sensitive.
The Scottish Government said it will now undertake issues with a wide range of stakeholders on the implications highlighted within the report and will take necessary action to make sure they are incorporated into any future policy considerations.
“We will fully involve interested parties in discussions about how these models might be used to inform our thinking on the management of inshore fisheries. It is important to stress that there are currently no plans in Scotland to introduce national restrictions on the use of mobile gears out to one or three nautical miles.”
The full report can be found on the Scottish Government website.
