"We outlined to the Minister in the starkest possible terms that large sections of the Scottish fleet are operating right on the edge of economic viability and that any further cut in fishing opportunity would throw many boats out of business and hit fragile fishing communities.
“Discussions ranged over all the major issues and the Cabinet Secretary and officials reassured the industry that the Scottish Government understood the difficulties and are committed along with the industry to resolving the problems.
“A number of common objectives were identified and both parties agreed with the need for a close working relationship particularly to secure the best possible outcome from the end-of-year negotiations.
“There are current ongoing trials with catch quotas, and while this is an option worth further consideration, there are misgivings about their potential in some parts of the industry. For this reason, the Scottish Government is preparing a performance report on current catch quota trials of fully documented fishing. A programme of meetings with the broader industry around a variety of ports will then follow.”
SFF Meets With Scottish Fisheries Minister
SCOTLAND, UK - Scottish Fishermens Federation (SFF) President Alan Coghill says that a constructive meeting was held yesterday (25 August) with the Scottish Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead.
