Commenting on the provisional statistics for fish landings in 2010 released by the Scottish Government, Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation said:
“These figures underline the important role Scottish fishing plays in the Scottish economy - in particular through the industry’s crucial support of many fragile communities around our coast.
“However, the fish landing statistics have to be taken in the context of significantly increased operating costs for the fishing fleet, most notably large increases in the cost of fuel and leasing of fishing days and quota, which means that many boats are operating on the edge of economic viability.
“The landing figures also highlight the importance of mackerel to the Scottish economy and why Iceland and the Faroes must be brought to account for their totally unacceptable and irresponsible behaviour in massively increasing their quotas for 2011.”
