Whitefish fears

THE LATEST breakdown in international negotiations over mackerel fishing quotas has prompted isles MSP Tavish Scott to express growing concern about the potential knock-on effects for Shetland’s whitefish industry.

He was speaking after the European Union, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norway left last week’s talks in Edinburgh without reaching an agreement for 2014.

“Iceland and Faroe have little interest in reaching international agreement on mackerel catches,” Scott said. “Why would they? Their boats are catching thousands of tonnes without a quota and the EU does nothing.”

He continued: “All the hype and rhetoric around sanctions appears to have come to nothing. No wonder the local industry is so fed up with Brussels.

“The knock on effects of this latest failure on the Shetland whitefish industry is of further concern. Agreement on mackerel is tied to whitefish quotas for 2014, some of which have yet to be finalised.

“It is no wonder that the local industry have so little faith in fisheries management when this debacle continues year after year.”