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Trawlers in radio blackout over cuts
By Paul Kelbie
The Independent
Scotland Correspondent
6th March 2003
Angry fishermen imposed a radio blackout yesterday in protest over cuts in catch quotas imposed by the European Commission which they claim will sink Scotland's 180-strong white fish fleet.
In defiance of the law, crews put to sea without switching on the vital satellite communication equipment which reports their position to fishery officials every two hours.
The self-imposed blackout meant their movements and activities could not be monitored by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. For 24 hours, the fishermen risked £50,000 fines and possible jail sentences in an effort to highlight their objection to the cuts, which they say will empty the seas of boats.
"The protest was intended to show the government what the North Sea is going to look like in the future unless they do something soon," said Carol MacDonald of the Cod Crusaders, a group of fishermen's wives set up to protest at the impact the cuts are expected to have on Scotland's coastal communities.
The EU's cod recovery plan, which came into force on 1 February, allows crews to fish for only 15 days each month, with quota cuts of 50 per cent on cod, haddock and whiting.
Many fishermen claim the restriction means they will be unable to meet the operating costs of their boats and will be forced to quit the industry or go bankrupt.
Peter Bruce, skipper of the Peterhead-registered Budding Rose, said: "The boats disappeared off the satellite monitoring centre screens for a short time but if something isn't done soon then boats are going to disappear off the seas round about Scotland for good."
The protest came as the Scottish Parliament approved a controversial £50m aid package to help the industry cope with the cuts. The package includes £10m compensation for fishermen for having to tie-up their boats and a further £40m to finance a decommissioning programme.
The scheme was fiercely criticised by the Scottish National Party and the Conservatives as more of a redundancy plan than a recovery plan. The Tory MSP Jamie McGrigor, the party's fisheries spokesman, said the package was a "poisoned chalice" for the industry.
Fishermen described the package as a massive disappointment. Peter Bruce said: "To use £40m for decommissioning rather than in a constructive way to give us all a future is a disaster."
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