This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Shetland fishing industry meeting
06/12/2003
Environment and Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie
today met with representatives of Shetland's fishing
industry to discuss the Executive's forthcoming
negotiations at the European Fisheries Council.
The December Council will agree quotas and effort
control measures to come into effect from January 1,
2004.
The meetings with representatives of Shetland
Fisherman's Association and Shetland Oceans Alliance
(SHOAL) come towards the end of a series of meeting with
key industry interests to agree the Executive's negotiating
position.
Following the meetings Mr Finnie said:
"The Commission have now published their initial
negotiating position.
While we acknowledge their focus on securing recovery we
want to see a much fairer balance between effort control
and quotas.
"We have been saying consistently in all our discussions
with the Commission that we must achieve not just
sustainable fisheries but sustainable fishing communities.
That is the balance that must be struck and that is the
message we are taking into these negotiations.
"The industry here and across Scotland has made a major
contribution to securing a more sustainable fishery. We
will continue to argue for a better deal on haddock,
monkfish and nephrops fisheries."