17 December, 2007

SCOTTISH fisheries secretary Richard Lochhead vowed to fight proposals to cut the number of days at sea for some of the Scottish fleet as he headed to Brussels yesterday (Sunday) for the final quota talks this year.

While most catching allocations have already been set, the main topic during the European Fisheries Council will be the number of days at sea Scottish vessels will be permitted.

Mr Lochhead said such conservation measures would be "crude" when other European countries were showing an interest in Scotland's proposals for an alternative management regime.

"I will strongly resist the hefty cuts in days at sea proposed by the Commission. This is precisely the wrong way to try to secure sustainable fisheries given the range of alternative measures being proposed by Scotland, a number of which are already winning favour in Europe.

"I am hopeful our arguments will prevail and we will avoid the scale of cuts proposed. Our industry is already taking the lead in Europe and showing in practice that there are better ways of conserving fish stocks than crude cuts in days at sea.

"For the first time in a decade, we have already secured an 11 per cent increase in the North Sea cod quota which the Scottish Government and our fishermen have worked hard all summer to achieve," the cabinet secretary said.