This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Fisheries Ministers in Peterhead
20/10/2003
Scottish Fisheries Minister Ross
Finnie and English Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw today
visited Peterhead.
During the visit the Ministers met
with the Port Authority and Harbour trustees and were given
a tour of the fish market, Peterhead harbour and port
facilities.
Mr Finnie and Mr Bradshaw then had
private meetings with industry groups including the
Scottish Fishermens Federation, the Scottish Fish Merchants
Federation, the North Sea Commission Fisheries Partnership
and the Cod Crusaders.
The visit and meetings is the latest
element in the continuing dialogue between government and
the fishing industry.
While Mr Bradshaw has previously met
members of the Scottish fishing industry in Edinburgh and
London, this visit with the Scottish Fisheries Minister to
Peterhead allowed him to meet a wider range of people
within the industry in Scotland and concentrate on the
particular issues affecting Scottish fishermen.
Commenting on Mr Bradshaw's visit,
Ross Finnie said:
"Peterhead is a key port for the
Scottish fishing industry and I welcome the opportunity for
myself and Mr Bradshaw to visit the port and meet industry
representatives.
"We have a continuing dialogue with
fishing industry representatives and organisations but,
particularly with the December Fisheries Council looming on
the horizon, it is good to be able to meet with the
industry in their home ports and discuss the issues which
most affect them."
Mr Bradshaw said:
"I am pleased to be here in Peterhead
to meet Scottish fishermen today at the invitation of Ross
Finnie the Scottish Fisheries Minister.
"Both Ross Finnie and I are seeking to
work in partnership to ensure there is a profitable and
viable future for the fishing industry as a whole.
"There are severe problems for the
industry that we need to face and find answers to. I am
sure that our joint efforts working with the industry will
find acceptable solutions."