Representatives from the European Commission and Norway will be discussing the EU-Norway fishing agreement for 2013 and beyond in Orkney this week.
The meeting in Kirkwall from June 6-8 is jointly hosted by the Scottish Government, Orkney Islands Council and the Orkney Fisheries Association. There will be talks on management plans regarding how shared stocks of cod, herring and saithe are sustainably fished.
Officials and scientists from seven EU member states – the UK, France, Sweden, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark will be present at the talks. Scottish Government officials from Marine Scotland will also be part of the discussions, along with key representatives from the Scottish fishing industry.
The meeting, which is a follow-up to the recent scientific seminar hosted by Norway, will focus on long term plans and will lay the foundation for further fishery negotiations between the EU and Norway.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s Fisheries Secretary, Richard Lochhead, is also due up to hold a debate at the Scottish Parliament today on the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the future of Scotland’s fishing industry - he wants Scotland to get behind its fishing communities and protect them for the future.
On the issue, Mr Lochhead commented: “Our fishermen and our fishing communities need the support of everyone in Scotland as these negotiations reach a critical milestone. We must not forget how important commercial fisheries and the fish processing sector are to Scotland, with Scottish vessels landing more than £500m worth of fish last year.”
