Scottish fishing boats cannot afford to lose any more days at sea, the European Union’s new fishing chief was told yesterday.
The message to Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella was delivered by Scottish Fishing Minister Richard Lochhead during a meeting in Brussels.
It is just over a week until fisheries ministers from around the EU gather in Belgium’s capital to thrash out a deal that will govern how much fish can be caught and, crucially, how much time fishers will have to catch it – during 2015.
The industry is also facing its biggest challenge in years, with a ban on discards – the dumping of fish at sea – due to be phased in from the start of next year.
Fishers will be obliged to land at least 95% of what they catch.
Speaking after yesterday’s meeting, Mr Lochhead said: “This was a great opportunity to discuss Scotland’s priorities ahead of the important EU Fisheries Council later this month.
“I emphasised again that our vessels need to retain the number of days they can go to sea.
“Any cut would simply be counterproductive and could lead to increased discards.
He added: “Another main issue member states and the (European) commission must address at council is the landing obligation, which comes into force next year.
“It will fundamentally change the way we fish and as a result we simply must rethink the fundamentals of how we manage fishing.
“I was able to raise this at the meeting, as well as the importance of needing to begin developing new approaches to fisheries management through mixed fisheries plans, flexibility of quotas between sea areas and level playing fields that enable effective delivery of the discard ban while maintaining the viability of European fleets.”