FISHERMEN were left in limbo last night after crunch talks aimed at ending the “mackerel war” collapsed without a deal being struck.
Hopes had been high that three days of discussions in Edinburgh would produce an international agreement on annual north-east Atlantic quotas for the Scottish fleet’s most valuable catch.
But failure by the EU, Norway, Iceland and Faroe to reach a settlement means the four-year dispute will continue to rage – putting livelihoods at risk.
Crucially, the impasse threatens the chances of a satisfactory deal for the Scottish white fish fleet in other talks taking place in the capital aimed at fixing the 2014 catch limits for several key North Sea species. Delays in the EU and Norway agreeing quotas for shared stocks such as cod and haddock are preventing many boats from working in their traditional grounds.
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) admitted the collapse of the mackerel talks had made the ongoing whitefish negotiations “much more difficult”.
Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “It is very disappointing that an agreement couldn’t be reached.
“This seemed like the best chance in a while to get a deal done and the longer this continues the greater the uncertainty faced by our fishermen.
“All of the countries involved in these talks have a responsibility to our fishermen to try and break this deadlock as soon as possible.”
There had been optimism that a deal was imminent in the run-up to this week’s discussions.
The EU tabled a compromise proposal which was accepted by Iceland and Faroe – but rejected by Norway.
Getting Iceland and Faroe to sign up to any agreement has proved impossible in recent years.
EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki said the latest breakdown in negotiations meant a “golden opportunity” for a breakthrough was gone.
She added: “The European Commission considers that conditions were ideal for a deal to be reached and positions were very close.”
Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association chief executive, Ian Gatt, told the Press and Journal that Norway walked away from a deal because of concerns about Greenland unilaterally increasing its quota for an “exploratory” mackerel fishery.
Greenland has no fleet of its own but is inviting boats from anywhere to catch a total of up to 100,000tonnes of the fish this year.
Mr Gatt said he sympathised with Norway over its refusal to accept the “absolutely crazy” and unsustainable fishing near Greenland, adding that the EU’s mackerel proposals would not have stopped it.
Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive, Bertie Armstrong, said: “The absence of an agreement after four years is a real disappointment.
“The remaining important catching opportunity negotiations between the EU and Norway are now that much more difficult.”
Scottish White Fish Producers Association chief executive, Mike Park, said: “The big negative for the demersal sector regarding the collapse of the wider discussion on mackerel with Iceland and Faroe is the continued loss of access to Faroe waters which is now likely to continue into 2015.
“Now that mackerel has been set aside, it may be possible to reach a quick deal with Norway on the wider issues of access and opportunities for the other jointly-managed stocks.
“My members are still resolute, however, that a quick deal should in no way compromise a fair deal.
“We are keen that a deal is agreed sooner rather than later, but not at any cost.”
Scots Tory MEP Struan Stevenson, senior vice-president of the European Parliament’s fisheries committee, hit out at over-fishing of the shared mackerel stock by Iceland and Faroe.
He said: “We have repeatedly asked them to accept a fair quota, but instead they are ignoring all scientific advice and performing a greedy smash and grab raid.
“This is dangerously unsustainable behaviour and puts at risk many thousands of jobs in the Scottish and wider EU fisheries sector.
“Without an agreement on mackerel, North Sea stocks of cod and haddock will almost certainly continue to come under increasing pressure, which will serve to only further destabilise the sector.”
Mr Stevenson called for the EU to consider punitive sanctions against Iceland and Faroe to “bring them into line before it is too late”.