Discards questions
SHETLAND MSP Tavish Scott has written to the Scottish fishing minister seeking assurances over how the EU’s ban on dumping fish is going to work.
Scott said the SNP government had committed to ban discards but had “published no details on implementation”, and the Shetland fishing industry has approached him asking how it will operate.
“The fisheries industry is worth £300 million to Shetland’s economy,” he said, “so a major change in how fish are landed is highly significant.
“The industry and environmentalists agree on stopping fish being thrown over the side of boats. But as ever the devil is in the detail and the Scottish government have yet to produce any clarity. Fishermen are still in the dark over this profound change and that is simply unacceptable.”
With the discard ban “fast approaching” Scott is calling for the rules and regulations to be set out clearly, and for time to be given to allow for changes in practice.
He said there was concern that “due to the lack of clarity of this legislation, consequences of the ban could result in Shetland’s fishermen being placed in an impossible position, potentially damaging the local industry, and causing huge repercussions for the local community as a whole”.
Scott added: “The Scottish government needs to set out in detail how they will be allowed to fish, how they are to treat and store fish, how they are to operate on board vessels, how they are to operate at landing.”
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