A first round of talks aimed at achieving a compromise on quotas for key North Sea fish stocks ended, as expected, with no conclusion.
EU and Norwegian negotiating teams met in Copenhagen, Denmark, this week in an attempt to thrash out a deal for shared fisheries.
They will pick up where they left off at the end of this month, when they get together again in Bergen, Norway.
According to Scottish Fishermen’s Federation president Ross Dougal, much of this week’s gathering was devoted to the Norwegians finding out more about the implications of the looming white-fish discard ban.
The negotiations cover several key species for the Scottish fishing fleet, including North Sea cod, haddock, saithe and herring.
Scientists have recommended an increase for North Sea haddock and cod of at least 30% and 15% respectively, reflecting the healthy state of many of Scotland’s most important fish stocks.
Industry chiefs are expecting a further boost from quota “uplifts” to compensate skippers for having to land nearly all of their catch under the new rules, including unwanted fish that in the past would have been dumped back in the sea.
The next round of EU-Norway talks kick off on November 30, with the final catching opportunities for 2016 to be confirmed at the EU Fisheries Council in Brussels next month.