The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) is warning that the proposed introduction by the European Commission of a management system for reducing unwanted catches and discards must be implemented sensibly.
The SFF wholeheartedly supports measures to reduce discards but says it is vital that any regime introduced can work in the complex environment of mixed fisheries.
A release issued by the Commission claims that the discards can be as high as 70-90% in some trawl fisheries. The SFF says this figure certainly does not relate to Scottish fisheries where by-catch levels are much lower. The Scottish industry has also been at the forefront of developing measures to reduce discards.
“In an industry already constrained by limitations of the number of days that can be spent at sea, time spent catching and sorting fish of no commercial value is regarded by fishermen as valuable time lost,” said Bertie Armstrong, SFF chief executive.
“For this reason discards in the Scottish fleet are a fraction of what they were in days before quota and time limitations.
“Mesh sizes in nets used by both our whitefish and langoustine fleets have been increased and the industry has been working closely for some time now with marine scientists in a research programme on fishing gear selectivity.
“The detailed proposals have yet to be discussed and as usual the devil will be in the detail. Unintended consequences must be avoided as there is a real danger of serious extra constraints being imposed on a fleet that is already very tightly managed by quotas and days-at-sea restrictions.
“It is essential that any measures introduced are done so sensibly and progressively. Realism will be necessary in designing practical rules and enforcement will be a key issue.”
