|
Cod catch ban could kill fleet
Frank Urquhart - furquhart@scotsman.com
The Scotsman
21st October 2003
Scotland’s crisis-torn white fish fleet was last night facing a battle for its survival, after a powerful group of international marine scientists called for a total ban on cod catches in the North Sea and West of Scotland waters.
The advisory committee of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) is recommending, for the second year in succession, a blanket moratorium on cod catches to save fragile stocks.
But the scientists are also demanding zero catches of cod in mixed fisheries where cod is landed as a by-catch - effectively signalling the total closure of the North Sea and West of Scotland white fish fisheries.
Fishermen’s leaders yesterday met Ben Bradshaw, Britain’s Fisheries Minister, and Ross Finnie, Scotland’s Rural Affairs Minister, for urgent talks in Peterhead about the closure threat facing the industry.
And Alex Smith, the president of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, condemned the ICES proposals as unrealistic, unworkable and unnecessary.
Mr Smith said that the scientists’ proposals, if backed at the December meeting of the European Fisheries Council, would lead to the wholesale destruction of what remained of Scotland’s white fish industry.
He said: "We are in for a major fight to keep the industry viable. A moratorium on cod is completely unrealistic. If these proposals went ahead the entire fleet might as well be tied to the quayside wall in January.
Mr Smith continued: "While we accept that we have got to try to rebuild the cod stocks, it can’t be at the expense of the whole industry. We have already cut our white fish fleet by almost 50 per cent and we have to get a framework in place to help those vessels that remain to have some confidence in the future.
"That would be best served by allowing a decent amount of haddock, whiting, monkfish and nephrops (prawns) to be caught to take the pressure off the cod. It is totally counter productive to cut back on these other species as well."
Mr Bradshaw, however, had few words of comfort for Scotland’s beleaguered fishing industry. He said: "The message is clearly bleak on some stocks of key interest to the UK. If the only way of ensuring that there are cod in the sea in future is the complete closure of the cod fishery then that is something we have to consider.
Mr Finnie said: "As Scotland’s fisheries minister, I am very determined that we get a balanced situation where we take due cognisance of the scientific advice, but we also have a situation where our fishermen have a future."
Richard Lochhead, the SNP’s Fisheries spokesman, warned that the ICES advice would be catastrophic for the Scots fishing industry
"Enough is enough. The Scottish and UK ministers must go to Brussels and fight tooth and nail to defend Scotland’s interests against other nations that want to close down our fishing industry so that they can feast on the North Sea themselves."
The report by ICES claims there should be zero catches of cod in Scottish waters until the stocks have had a chance to recover. North Sea cod stocks are estimated at 52,000 tonnes, about one third the recommended minimum level. The scientists are recommending a total ban until stocks recover to 70,000 tonnes.
Top
|
