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Shetland Leasing And Property (SLAP) board member Sandy Cluness said that the heavily fish dependant islands should use the opportunity of people decommissioning their vessels, to snap up quota.
Such a move could put the Shetland industry at odds with fishermen from mainland Scotland and other parts of the UK who don't benefit from an oil-fuelled fund to help tide them through the lean times.
Mr Cluness said that the future of the Shetland fishing industry was the beginning and end of his concerns. Mr Cluness is also chairman of the Shetland Islands Council's (SIC) development committee.
He added: "The purchase of quotas is like any other investment. It's freely on the market and people who are prepared to buy it are entitled to buy it.
"What has happened elsewhere is that quotas have been purchased by the Spanish. As much as we would like to cooperate with the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, we cannot help them. We are trying to protect our own industry.
"We live in a world where the market place includes the sale of quotas. The only question is whether the Shetland Islands community should buy quotas to be utilised by its fishing fleet or not."
Mr Cluness was undaunted by concerns that the European Commission is already investigating SLAP's multi-million quota hoard as infringing fair competition rules. The whistle was blown on the Shetland operation by a European Member of Parliament. According to Mr Cluness, SLAP is a private concern that can use its money in any way it chooses.
By Peter Johnson
FIS Europe
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