31 October, 2007

SHETLAND fishermen can expect a nine per cent cut in their Western mackerel quota for next year following an agreement struck in Oslo yesterday (Tuesday) between Norway, the Faroe Islands and the EU,

The Scottish Fishermen Federation (SFF) said last night the deal was "probably the best that could have been reached under the circumstances".

Initially a cut of between nine and 20 per cent was recommended together with a tight management system.

SFF chief executive Bertie Armstrong said he hoped that reports from fishermen of plentiful fish on the grounds would result in an increased quota for 2009.

Last year that shared Total Allowable Catch (TAC) between the three partners was 420,000 tonnes, of which 150,000 tonnes was allocated to the UK. Scotland is by far the largest mackerel catching nation within the EU.

Mr Armstrong said: "There was a danger of a bigger cut being agreed so we welcome the fact that this never materialised.

"Real-time reports by fishermen indicate that mackerel are abundant on the grounds and hopefully this information will result in an increased quota further down the line."