Hans J Marter

9 May, 2007

CAMPAIGNERS from Greenpeace have been in Shetland waters during the last few days engaging with Scottish and Shetland trawler men working north of the isles.

The environmental campaigners are in the northern North Sea as part of their effort to protect cod from extinction and to promote their proposal of creating marine reserves in the North Sea.

But fishermen's representatives in the isles said yesterday (Tuesday) they were well aware of the issues surrounding cod and did not need Greenpeace to highlight them further.

Chief executive of Shetland Fishermen's Association, Hansen Black, said: "No one is more aware of the issues than fishermen themselves.

"Our men are acting very responsibly by avoiding grounds where they are likely to catch cod. The fleet is very proactive at the moment in avoiding cod, which certainly is an unusual scenario."

For several years now, cod has been described as being "outside safe biological limits" by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) which advises the European Union in its annual fish quota setting exercise.

Stock sizes are estimated to be at 70,000 tonnes, half of what is regarded as the bare minimum for the species in the North Sea.

Greenpeace wants a total ban on cod fishery and sees such a measure as the only way forward to protect the species.

Speaking on board the campaign vessel Artic Sunrise yesterday, ocean campaigner Willie Mackenzie said: "If fishing for cod in the North Sea is allowed to continue, North Sea cod will be wiped out."

The Arctic Sunrise was sheltering in the Wick of Tresta, off Fetlar, yesterday, and hosted a visit from pupils and the teacher of the tiny Fetlar primary school.

Mr Mackenzie added that they have been getting varied responses from the fishermen they have spoken to so far.

"Generally speaking fishermen are not the biggest fans of the idea of setting aside dedicated areas for stock recovery.

"For us the crisis that affects cod is symptomatic of what is the bigger problem in terms of how the oceans are being managed. For successive years we had scientific advice saying that we shouldn't be fishing any cod, but fishermen and the fishing industry lobbies governments to make sure that quotas are still being set.

"There is also illegal fishing as well as bycatch from other fisheries. It can't go on like this," he said.

But Mr Black argued that fishermen had difficult choices to make. "At the moment we have incredible low quotas for cod although there is a lot of cod on the grounds, which means that fishermen have to avoid the fish at all cost.

"Fishermen at the same time try to run a business, and they have to catch some fish to maintain their businesses.

"We are trying to be responsible and proactive in the cod recovery programme and find a solution that allows us to keep our fishery going around Shetland while protecting cod at the same time.

"It's not always an easy balance, but I think I can say that our fishermen are playing more than their part in the whole process," he said.

Mr Mackenzie said that attitudes among some politicians towards the marine environment appear to be changing, giving hope that marine reserves could be provided for by the new Marine Bill which is presently out for consultation.

He added: "There are going to be losers in this and not just species such as cod. If fishermen continue like this there will be nothing left to fish.

"As well as setting aside areas as marine reserves we need to move towards sustainable practices such as less destructive methods of fishing. That would probably mean fishing less but at the end of the day it will also mean that we can have a sustainable fishing industry.

The Arctic Sunrise is scheduled to remain in Shetland waters for at least the next two weeks and plans to be in Lerwick during the weekend of the 19 and 20 May.

Mr Black added that he was more than happy to talk to the environmental campaigners when in port. "Our door is always open," he said.