Scotland’s prawn fishermen will significantly cut their level of fish discarding, following agreement reached for the use of new fishing gear designs.
Marine Scotland has worked closely with the fishing industry to develop new trawl and net design solutions, which are highly selective and help avoid catching unwanted species that prawn vessels do not have the quota to land.
Discard levels will be significantly cut when 130 prawn vessels adopt highly selective fishing gear, to address the issue of unwanted bycatch. This move has been developed by the fishermen and will cut discards by as much as 70%.
Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “Our fishermen should be applauded for taking action to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable fisheries, using their knowledge and experience to help develop workable solutions. This approach is night and day compared to the murky deals struck in Brussels, demonstrating why regional control must be a key priority for CFP reform.
“Prawn fishermen will benefit from adopting these changes, by being able to claim back more fishing time and ensuring they can make a viable living throughout the year.”
