Election / Fishing should not be treated as an afterthought – Labour candidate claims
SCOTLAND needs both renewable energy and renewable food, according to the Labour candidate for the Shetland seat in the Scottish Parliament.
John Erskine was responding to calls from the Scottish fishing industry to endorse its manifesto of ‘standing up for fishing’, published at the start of the year.
The document, published by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), emphasises the importance of the industry to Scotland’s coastal and island communities, where they are vital parts of local economies.
Shetland News have asked all confirmed candidates to give their response to the SFF’s manifesto.
Erskine described the manifesto as a “serious contribution to the pre-election debate” that “rightly underlines the importance of fishing to Shetland’s economy, food security and coastal communities”.
“I agree that fishing must be talked up as a modern, skilled and essential industry, not treated as an afterthought in marine planning or energy policy,” he said.
“Scotland needs both renewable energy and renewable food, and fishing cannot simply be squeezed out of increasingly crowded seas without proper consideration of the economic and community consequences.”
He added that one area where there should be clear cross-party agreement is safety.
“Continued and strengthened support for the Scottish Fishing Safety Group is essential. Every fisherman should come home safe, every time, and the work SFF, unions and industry partners have done through the safety group has been critical in driving down risk, improving training, and embedding a stronger safety culture across the fleet,” he said.
“Fishing communities must be properly involved in decisions on offshore wind, MPAs and the forthcoming National Marine Plan with impacts assessed transparently and mitigated fairly,” he continued.
“Shetland’s fleet and wider seafood sector are a cornerstone of the local and regional economy, and any credible national approach has to recognise that reality.”
The Scottish Parliament elections are being held on 7 May.
So far, four candidates to replace retiring MSP Beatrice Wishart have put their names forward.
They are in alphabetical order: John Erskine (Labour), Hannah Mary Goodlad (SNP), Emma Macdonald (Lib Dems) and Brian Nugent (Sovereignty).
Shetland South councillor Alex Armitage is expected to be announced as the Green candidate soon, while Reform UK is understood to have plans of announcing a candidate later this month.
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