Fishermen seek £100m pay-out p1 of 2

Fishermen seek £100m pay-out

BBC NEWS

Monday, 23 December, 2002

Ross Finnie and Jack McConnell met fishing leaders

Scotland's single most powerful group of fishermen is demanding £100m in compensation for cuts in North Sea quotas.
The directors of the Scottish White Fish Producers' Association have passed a unanimous vote of no confidence in UK Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley.

They also agreed to seek legal advice on the possibility of challenging the deal in the European Court of Human Rights.

Had Ross Finnie been the Archangel Gabriel he would not have got out of this any better than he did

Hamish Morrison
SFF chief executive

However, no plans for direct action were made at the meeting in Banff.

Talks have also been held in Edinburgh between fishing leaders and Scottish Fisheries Minister Ross Finnie and First Minister Jack McConnell.

They discussed the impact of the deal struck in Brussels on Friday, which will restrict vessels to 15 days at sea each month.

Cod quotas will be cut by 45% from February next year, and there are larger reductions for catches of haddock and whiting in the North Sea.

Fishermen's leaders were warned on Monday that 15% of the UK fleet may need to be decommissioned.

The talks between ministers and the Scottish Fishermens' Federation (SFF) focused on the impact interim cuts would have on local communities.

'Terminal effect'

SFF president Alex Smith said fishermen were not interested in decommissioning.

"That would have a terminal effect on the industry," he said.

"Our main priority is to receive something to tide us over in the short term."

Chief executive Hamish Morrison said: "The one thing I can say positively is that the first minister said he wouldn't rule anything out or anything in at the moment.

White fish quotas have been slashed

"He said he wanted to save the Scottish white fish fleet and it would take a significant investment to do this.

"By halving the ability of skippers to earn, clearly there is going to be a large financial implication. There's a long way to go yet, but I'm still very worried."

And he claimed that the deal itself had been a "stitch-up".

"Had Ross Finnie been the Archangel Gabriel he would not have got out of this any better than he did," he added.

Mr Finnie said ministers were pressing for early discussions on a "more reasoned and equitable" long-term plan for European fisheries.

But he warned: "It is clear we will have to have some form of new decommissioning scheme as part of our contribution to conservation measures on long-term sustainability."

Full effect

Aberdeenshire Council is calling on Prime Minister Tony Blair to visit Peterhead as soon as possible.

The authority wants him to see for himself the full effects of the fishing cuts.

Council convener Raymond Bisset claims that they will take £300m out of the north east economy and cost up to 7,000 jobs in the region alone.

John Swinney wanted parliament recalled

A call from Scottish National Party leader John Swinney to recall parliament to discuss the cuts has been rejected by Presiding Officer Sir David Steel.