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Scottish Shadow Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead has slammed revelations that only 35 out of 250 Scottish Executive scientists are working on the fishing crisis, despite lack of hard science being at the core of many CFP problems.
According to Mr Lochhead the European Commission proposal to shut down fishing grounds is based on advice that is "flawed, incomplete and out of date". There is little information available on the location of food supply for cod stocks - a shortcoming the fisheries research service "should be doing its utmost" to rectify. .
The North East MSP said: "I am astounded that when Scottish fishing industry is fighting for its life only 35 of the Government's own scientists are working on projects relating to white fish stocks and some of them are carrying out work that is only slightly relevant.
"There are 250 fisheries scientists employed by the fisheries minister Ross Finnie and for only a handful to be spending some of their time on issues relating to the future of our most valuable stocks is crazy especially given the current crisis.
"However, perhaps the most staggering flaw in the scientific advice is the complete failure to take into account the impact on white fish stocks when setting the total allowable catch figures for industrial fishing. How can it be ecologically sound to allow hundreds of thousands of tonnes of industrial fishing to take place which involved the hoovering up of juvenile haddock, cod and whiting?"
More work was also required to develop technical conservation measures and selective gear that would help conserve stocks without closing down fishing grounds and the destruction of thousands of livelihoods, said Mr Lochhead.
However Scottish Fisheries Minister Ross Finnie dismissed suggestions that industrial fishing was responsible for stocks decline. "Young cod and haddock have a catholic diet that is not currently prejudiced by the industrial fisheries," he told the Scottish Parliament in an answer that will disappoint fishermen keen to recruit support from the Executive.
Mr Lochhead said: "Ross Finnie must treat the fishing crisis with a great deal more urgency and dedicate very available resources to saving Scotland's fishing industry."
By Peter Johnson
FIS Europe
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