The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Listen

Chapter One - The Future of Fishing in Scotland

Introduction

On May 21 2008, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead MSP, launched a consultation on the future of quota management and licensing in Scotland. The consultation was entitled Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland. It sought views on proposals for a new quota management and licensing system in Scotland. The aim was to implement arrangements tailored to fit Scotland's needs, support a sustainable, profitable and well-managed industry and in particular, seek to maintain fishing rights in traditional fishing communities.

Fishing rights are assets of national importance - the lifeblood of many of our coastal communities and one of the most important benefits flowing from our marine resource. Fisheries management is devolved under the Scotland Act 1998. Until now, quota management and licensing arrangements have been overseen by the four UK Fisheries Administrations acting jointly. As policy aims and fleet structures have diverged, this situation has constrained the Scottish Government's ability to put in place arrangements tailored to our circumstances and to meet the needs of the Scottish industry.

This is unsatisfactory given the significant contribution made by fisheries to many of our coastal communities, and national economy. The Scottish fish industry (sea fishing and processing sector) accounts for 1% of Scottish GDP compared to 0.1% for the UK as a whole. Fishing is 10 times more important to Scotland in pure economic terms than it is to the UK. Unsurprisingly given these considerations around 70% of key quotas allocated to the UK are held by Scottish interests; indeed, we have around 20 travel to work areas that are fishing dependent compared to just four elsewhere in the UK. The fleet structure in Scotland, dominated by family based vessel partnerships, the vast majority of which remain indigenously owned, contrasts with the ownership structure in some other areas of the UK fleet.

The Scottish Government wishes to safeguard the industry in Scotland moving forward and in particular to ensure that fishing rights remain accessible to traditional fishing communities with high levels of fishing dependence. While we consider that those who hold and fish quotas should have security of access to fish and a stable platform from which to grow their business, we do not believe in privatising fishing rights ( ITQs) because of the inherent risks involved to our many fishing communities. We are concerned about a drift towards privatisation in quota management in the UK in recent years and note that this is out of step with our European competitors. If fishing rights migrate from our fishing communities, as they have done in other areas of the UK, this will jeopardise the whole structure of the industry in Scotland both at sea and onshore. Given the high levels of economic interdependency between different sectors of the fleet we note that this only needs to happen in one significant fleet segment for unwelcome effects to be apparent for the industry and fishing communities more generally.

That is why we proposed distinct quota management and licensing arrangements in Scotland that aim to:

• Help to ensure that Scottish fishing communities retain their fishing rights, now and for the future, so that fishing rights remain an asset available to the industry in Scotland moving forward.
• Promote a shared approach between the fishing industry and the Scottish Government to managing quota in Scotland.
• Encourage quotas to be held by those who can fish them (close to the producer) so that they remain in the hands of the fishing industry and so prevent them from becoming a speculative asset.
• Provide a stable regulatory environment for the Scottish fishing fleet, for those investing in its future, and for the wider fishing communities.
• Encourage the growth of fishing businesses, regeneration of the fleet, and keep down the cost of quota.

Consultation

The consultation period ran from May 21 until August 21 2008. Copies of the consultation were sent to stakeholders across Scotland and the rest of the UK, including Scottish licence holders, UK producer organisations, regional authorities, fishing representative bodies, agencies of the Scottish Government and conservation groups, see Annex B. The consultation document ( ISBN 9780755957866) was also made available online on the Scottish Government website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19155732/0

The consultation generated 61 formal written responses from a range of stakeholders (see table below), and Annex C. The type of responses varied from very detailed answers - addressing each question in turn - to those providing comment on general principles. As expected, within such a diverse industry, there was considerable difference of views.

Representatives of the Marine Directorate also took part in a series of 25 meetings around Scotland as part of the consultation process. Attended by over 350 fishermen and other stakeholders, these meetings gave interested parties an opportunity to ask questions, clarify and discuss matters in greater detail. Officials welcomed the opportunity to hear at first hand what fishing communities thought of the proposals. It was interesting to note that on broad issues different opinions were expressed by Fishermen's Associations and Producer Organisations, despite sometimes significant crossover in membership. This is perhaps to be expected, and one reason why stakeholder meetings proved so valuable.

Report Structure

This outcome to consultation report sets out our initial findings, interim conclusions and proposed changes to the current quota management and licensing arrangements in Scotland. The report follows the same structure as the initial consultation document. Where changes or amendments have been made to the initial proposals the rationale for this is explained in the report.

Methodology

The way in which the consultation paper was set out - with respondents being invited to answer open questions - resulted in qualitative answers from respondents. We have also considered the many views and suggestions that were made to us during a series of meetings around the coast on a range of issues. These were given due consideration in the analysis process. The same approach has been taken in analysing answers.

Next Steps/Implementation

Richard Lochhead (Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment) wrote out to stakeholders on 16 December 2008 providing an update on our plans for quota management and licensing in Scotland, along with a report summarising the views received to the consultation. This letter set out in broad terms our plans to have a phased implementation of quota and licensing arrangements in Scotland during 2009.

This report summarises the views received, sets out our response to views expressed, and also seeks your further opinion on some of the ideas put to us during the consultation. We ask that you submit any further views on this report by 24 March. Following a short period of consultation, measures to be adopted under a Scottish quota and licensing system will then be set out in a final outcome report.

The first phase of the implementation will be establishment of a Scottish licensing system. The 2006 Licence Review Working Group recommendations will be implemented in full, and a Scottish Licence Review Group established. Work will commence on reforming Producer Organisations in Scotland, along with an initiative to attract new entrants into the industry. An announcement on detailed management measures will be made following the publication of our final outcome report. Until a new Scottish quota management and licensing system is in place the current joint management arrangements will continue to apply as an interim measure, including the moratorium.

2009 will therefore be a year of transition, any changes prior to implementation will be fully discussed with other Fisheries Administrations in seeking an understanding of any possible implications these may have. A Scottish quota and licensing system will be fully implemented and in operation in January 2010.

Contact Details

Further comments are invited by mail or email and should be sent to:

Email: quotamanagement@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Tel : 0131 244 4766/6436
Fax: 0131 244 6288

The Scottish Government may make any responses to this paper available to the public and to the Scottish Parliament. If you respond to this consultation, you are requested to complete the enclosed Respondent Information Form. This will ensure that we handle responses appropriately.

« Previous | Contents | Next »