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Sustainable: Safeguarding Stocks and The Marine Environment
This action plan recommends moderate fishing pressure as the most likely approach to achieve long-term stability of stocks and higher yields and a fishing industry that is sustainable in economic, social, environmental and biological terms. Importantly, it represents the single biggest contribution that fisheries management can make to conserving the quality of the marine environment by achieving a sustainable environmental footprint for the sector. It is about putting the two important principles of sustainable fisheries management - the ecosystem based approach and the precautionary principle - into action. This, in turn, is important for securing both the reputation of the industry and the product and a healthy marine environment on which the stocks depend.
This approach means we will always work towards target fishing rates that are consistent with "maximum sustainable yield" ( MSY) reference points defined by ICES, or a proxy that is scientifically justified and minimises the risk of stock collapse. The measures deployed to achieve (or stay at) these targets must take account of the needs of both catchers and processors, and strike the best possible balance between short-term risks (both financial and biological) and long term socio-economic interests. It is likely that biological interdependence between fish species in our mixed fisheries precludes attainment of single species MSY for all stocks at the same time so we must keep this policy under review.
We recognise that other steps will be needed to safeguard the marine ecosystem in the way that the fisheries are managed particularly in light of Scotland's nature conservation responsibilities. These include measures to reduce by-catches of non-target species and protecting vulnerable seabed habitats as well as taking steps to reduce discards as outlined in the 2006 Ministerial North Sea Conference. All of these activities complement other work being done to protect marine biodiversity, such as designation of protected areas and the work on the overall marine and costal strategy for scotland through AGMACS.
The sustainability of the 7 top commercial fish species of interest to Scotland has been evaluated by SeaFAR. Five of them (mackerel, herring, haddock, Nephrops, and scallops) are already being fished at rates consistent with the aim of moderate fishing pressure. Outline actions to ensure sustainable management continues in these fisheries and can be achieved in the other two as listed in this plan, including measures to address wider environmental impacts.
Detailed long term management plans are now needed for each sector/fishery. These need to take account of all factors affecting stock size and species interactions and to identify ways in which our fisheries management can help meet our wider environmental management objectives and responsibilities incuding in respect of sensitive habitats and species. These need to be agreed to and implemented by all the parties and interests in the sector/fishery concerned. This means that, for all but Scallops, these plans will need to be put in place at the international level.
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