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EU fish talks
17/12/2007
The final EU fish talks of 2007 begin in Brussels today with one of the main topics for discussion the number of days at sea Scottish vessels will be permitted.
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
"There is a real sense that our fishing communities and fishing industry are sailing into calmer waters. Our job is to secure the best possible deal for Scotland in the coming days to ensure the prosperity of one of our most valuable sectors.
"I will strongly resist the hefty cuts in days at sea proposed by the Commission. This is precisely the wrong way to try to secure sustainable fisheries given the range of alternative measures being proposed by Scotland a number of which are already winning favour in Europe.
"I am hopeful our arguments will prevail and we will avoid the scale of cuts proposed. Our industry is already taking the lead in Europe and showing in practice that there are better ways of conserving fish stocks than crude cuts in days at sea.
" For the first time in a decade, we have already secured an 11 per cent increase in the North Sea cod quota which the Scottish Government and our fishermen have worked hard all summer to achieve.
"The Scottish Government promised a new approach and although we face a gruelling set of negotiations I am determined to ensure the industry's hard work and leadership in recent months pays dividends."