This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Fisheries negotiations
15/11/2004
Fisheries Minister Ross Finnie today pledged to work
with Scotland's fishing industry and fishing interests to
bring 'common sense' to critical European fisheries
negotiations.
At an Executive conference of fishing industry and other
stakeholders in advance of the December Fisheries Council,
Mr Finnie said :
"I am clear that our fisheries policy must be based on
the best independent scientific evidence.
"We still await formal proposals from the European
Commission ahead of this year's negotiations.
"Early indications suggest that the Commission's
Scientific Technical and Economic Committee (STECF) agree
with us that the evidence on some stocks is
inconclusive.
"We must continue to respond responsibly where advice
shows stocks are under threat.
"However, we expect the Commission to take full account
of the part that Scotland's industry has played in helping
to conserve fish stocks.
"We are not in the game of further reductions in days at
sea. The extra days we have achieved as a result of our
decommissioning schemes are non-negotiable.
"We will be working to bring more common sense into the
effort and haddock management regimes. I hope to make
progress in these areas especially given the Dutch
Presidency's commitment to simpler, better regulation.
"In working with the fishing industry and other
stakeholders, I am fully committed to achieving a
sustainable future for Scotland's fishing communities and
Scotland's fishermen."