An international battle over some of Scotland’s best loved fish is about to unfold, with the outcome hanging on delicate negotiations between the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Faroe.
Diplomacy will be the order of the day as upsetting the Norwegians in multinational talks on mackerel quotas could scupper any chance of a positive deal for Scotland in separate discussions on key white fish stocks.
There is much at stake for Scottish boats working in the North Sea, where UK ministers are pushing for a “moderate” increase in the cod quota.
Officials will not say what moderate means exactly, because it could toughen the bargaining position adopted by Norway.
But a figure of 10% has been mooted in light of scientific evidence of healthier stocks, and Scottish fishing leaders are calling for a bigger increase of up to 20%.
Norway’s demands for white fish it shares with the EU will also be dictated by how well it fares in problematic mackerel talks, also involving Iceland and Faroe, in the new year.
The overall situation is at best fragile, but Scottish White Fish Producer’s Association chief executive Mike Park told the Press and Journal yesterday that a speedy resolution to it all was in the best interests of both Scotland and Norway.
Speaking from Amsterdam, where he was meeting Dutch counterparts, Mr Park said: “Our boats won’t get access to Norwegian waters until this has all been settled.
“There is also pressure on Norway, because they want access to certain pelagic (mainly mackerel and herring) fishing grounds.”
To complicate matters further, a third set of potentially fraught talks are due to take place next month in an attempt to secure a deal on herring.
The mackerel talks will be held first as they are pivotal to negotiations for all the other species.
North Sea haddock quotas are relatively uncomplicated – Scots fishers face a 15% cut under a rigid management plan for the stock, although Mr Park hopes a potential swap deal with Norway will reduce the blow.
A decision by Faroe earlier this year to give itself an Atlanto-Scandian herring quota more than three times larger than its traditional annual share led to EU trade sanctions, including a ban on pelagic imports from the country.