Scotland is expanding its catch quota trial in a bid to reduce discards.
The catch quota scheme allows for all fish to be landed, where as, under traditional quotas, vessels have a set limit on the fish they can land and have to throw any fish over this limit back into the sea dead.
Catch quota trials were held in 2010 involving 17 Scottish vessels and now an expanded 26 vessel scheme will soon begin. As well including boats from the whitefish fleet heartland in the North East of Scotland, skippers from across the country are taking part, including the West Coast, Orkney and Shetland.
Under catch quotas vessels can land, rather than be forced to discard, an extra amount equal to 12% of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for cod. To ensure there are no discards, the fishing practice of participating vessels is fully documented through onboard cameras. The Scottish Government has provided £400,000 pounds for the purchase and installation of the new monitoring equipment.
In 2009, Scottish vessels were forced to discard almost 28,000 tonnes of fish, around a quarter of the whitefish catch, valued at £33m.
Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said that discards is a practice enforced on fishermen by the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), however, the government is determined to find innovative measures to reduce discards and support more sustainable fishing practices by the Scottish fleet.
"We want to see our fishermen land all they catch and command a price for each fish - in return for taking less out of the sea in the first place. While catch quotas alone do not provide all the answers, it offers an important first step and provides the basis for more sustainable solutions in the future,” he said.
Lochhead said that 58 skippers (around half the whitefish fleet) applied for the catch quota scheme this year, but said that it is frustrating that they have only been given the capacity to include 26 vessels, largely due to opposition and uncertainty from other countries who share Europe's waters with Scotland.
"This year, for some vessels, we also plan to test catch quotas beyond cod and extend to haddock and whiting. This will help us understand how the approach works in complex mixed fisheries, where quotas for different species can vary vastly.
"2011 is a critical year as we look to influence negotiations on the future of the CFP. The success of the catch quota trials can only strengthen our position, as Scotland demonstrates it can lead the way within the EU towards sustainable and discard-free fisheries," he concluded.
However, not all are convinced and Liberal Democrat Fisheries spokesman Liam McArthur said that catch quotas will make little difference to the majority of the whitefish and prawn fleet, while selection of boats that are eligible has been described as a lottery.
“All parties are agreed about the need to tackle the obscenity of discards, but the SNP government must heed calls from the industry about the need to modify its approach to catch quotas,” he said.
