Scotland Office Minister John Lamont will travel to the heartland of the Scottish fishing industry this week to speak to and hear from key players.
Mr Lamont said: “I chair the Scottish Seafood Industry Action group (SSIAG), which will convene – for the first time – in Peterhead, right at the heart of the industry.
“The group brings together key figures from the seafood sector with the UK Government and Scottish Government.
“It’s an excellent way to find out how things are going post-Brexit for a sector that’s essential to our coastal communities, and a pivotal part of our economy.”
We will continue to work in collaboration with the Scottish Government to ensure the fishing industry has a long-term and sustainable future.”
John Lamont, Scotland Office Minister
He added: “Since we exited the EU, we have seen an increase in fish quotas for the UK that will amount to around £146 million by 2026.
“As well as maintaining funding levels following our withdrawal from the EU, we are also investing £100m through the UK Seafood Fund so that fishing communities across the UK, including Scotland, benefit from better infrastructure, new jobs and investment in skills.
“We will continue to work in collaboration with the Scottish Government to ensure the fishing industry has a long-term and sustainable future.”
SSIAG meets in Peterhead – Europe’s busiest white-fish port – on Wednesday.
Mr Lamont’s figure for economic gain by the industry assumes all fish quotas are caught in full.
It ignores the potential for some of the extra quota not being fished if there is no demand.
Nor does it factor in the extra cost of any red tape and non-tariff barriers post-Brexit.
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SSIAG meets several times a year and brings together the catching and processing parts of the fishing and aquaculture industry with ministers and officials from the UK and Scottish governments.
How does post-Brexit funding compare with past EU support?
To replace lost EU funding, the UK Government is investing £32.7m a year in fishing communities around Britain.
An additional £100m pot of seafood funding has been made available to the sector across the UK to boost infrastructure, research and development, skills and exports.
Funding under the EU’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund between 2014 and 2020 was worth about £215.7m to the UK, of which Scotland received around £96m.
Conversation