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Fishermen seek ban on EU multi-rig trawlers
Frank Urquhart
The Scotsman
3rd July 2004
One of Scotland’s most powerful fishermen’s organisations is calling for a complete halt to the "madness" of allowing multi-rigged trawlers to continue fishing in the North Sea, despite increasing concerns about threatened stocks.
Skippers of multi-rigged trawlers, mainly from the fishing fleets of Denmark and Belgium, are still being allowed to use the equipment on board their vessels to tow up to eight nets at a time in their search for prawn catches.
But the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association (SWFPA) claims the use of the multi-rigged trawls is leading to hundreds of tonnes of haddock, caught as by-catch, being dumped at sea.
The association has written to Ross Finnie, Scotland’s fisheries minister, calling on him to pursue a Europe-wide ban on the multi-rigged boats as a matter of urgency with the European Fisheries Commission.
George MacRae, the association’s secretary, said: "We are calling for an immediate cessation to the use of multi-rig trawl by all EU fishing vessels. Multi-rig trawling is creating havoc in the North Sea, and recently both Danish and Belgian fishermen were seen towing eight nets in a multi-rig fishery.
"They were towing for prawns, and one vessel using these eight nets caught and discarded 20 tonnes of immature haddock. That is total, absolute, undiluted madness."
Mr MacRae continued: "The Scottish fleet has done everything possible to improve the conservation methods used by them in their fishing operations and yet other European nations are just ignoring anything to do with conservation whatsoever by using these totally unacceptable fishing practices.
"Legislation must be issued now to stop this practice and it is in the hands of the commission to be able to put a block on fishing multi-rig trawl immediately and that is what SWFPA is calling for."
He added: "It must be emphasised that SWFPA is not attempting to minimise or reduce efficiency at sea, but efficiency cannot compromise sensible conservation measures and multi-rig trawl is totally alien to any concept of conservation.
"All those interested in the marine environment should support the initiative of SWFPA, because what we have to achieve is sensible conservation practices generating sustainable stocks and matching that ideal with sensible economic fishing effort, allowing the fishermen to make a decent living. Multi-rig trawl in fishing terms is an abomination so far as fish stock conservation is concerned."
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said: "The Scottish Executive supports the prohibition of multi-rig trawlers and is preparing consultation papers to seek views on whether this should be enacted through Scottish legislation. Mr Finnie will respond to the SWFPA’s letter in due course."
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