Key fish stocks in the North Sea like cod, haddock and plaice, are rising and could result in significantly higher quotas next year, according to new scientific assessments.
The annual scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) also reveals similarly encouraging figures for a number of west coast stocks including megrim and Rockall Haddock.
“It is certainly encouraging that increases have been advised for some of our most valuable stocks particularly haddock which is up by at least 30%, North Sea cod which is increased by up to 15% and plaice which is up by at least 15% compared to last year,” said Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment. “These figures confirm we are moving in the right direction and will be welcome news for the fishing industry.”
ICES publishes the advice each year to help inform the fisheries negotiations that take place in the autumn to decide how much quota fishermen will receive in the coming year. For the first time, this year’s advice is structured to allow the negotiations to decide how much additional quota should be made available for those stocks being brought into the discard ban from January 2016, in particular haddock, plaice and Nephrops.
Despite the positive rise, other stocks have decreased including North Sea nephrops and whiting which will present more of a challenge in the coming year.
“However, the overall advice for a reduction of around 17% for North Sea Nephrops is disappointing, although it varies between the different grounds where they are fished,” added Mr Lochhead.
“The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with all parts of the fishing industry over the summer to understand what these new assessments mean for them,” Mr Lochhead concluded.
