The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) has strongly criticised the decision by supermarket chain Asda to stop selling monkfish.
According to the organisation, boats in membership of the SFF have been working closely with marine scientists for the last few years in building an accurate assessment of the Scottish monkfish stock through a collaborative research programme.
Results from these scientific studies – which are continuing this year - showed the stock to be in good health, resulting in the quota for monkfish being increased by 10% for 2007.
Bertie Armstrong, SFF chief executive said: “There is absolutely no technical basis behind this move by Asda, which completely ignores the science and the fact that Scottish boats are fishing for monkfish responsibly and sustainably.
“Part of the reason put forward by Asda to impose a ban appears to revolve around concerns about the environmental impact of beam trawling. We would point out to Asda that there is not a single beam trawler in the Scottish fleet.”
