Quota concerns

IMPORTANT fish stocks like monkfish and megrim still face a potential 25 per cent quota cut at this year’s December Fisheries Council.

Despite EC fisheries commissioner Maria Damanaki’s decision to drop plans to automatically cut quotas by a quarter where there was insufficient scientific data, however the plan remains in place for next year’s catch.

Shetland MSP Tavish Scott has written to the Scottish government asking what they intend to do to tackle the threat to these two species, which are especially important to the islands’ fleet.

“It seems irrational to accept the principle of stock assessments being based on fisheries science and yet ignore that for monkfish and megrim,” he said.