Hansard

My understanding of the Scottish Government’s motion is that it does not refer to the particular incident about who represented us at EU negotiations, when I supported the Government’s concerns. However, as during the referendum debate, I am pretty clear that I believe that the UK’s strong negotiating position provides the best deal for Scottish fishermen.

Notwithstanding the UK Government’s questionable decision to bring in a member of the House of Lords at the last minute to represent UK interests, I hope that the cabinet secretary will work well with his UK colleagues in the interests of the Scottish sector, as in previous years. The negotiations are significant, and I want Scotland to support decisions that aid the effective introduction of the landing obligation, achieve fishing at sustainable levels and help to deliver good environmental status. That can be achieved while retaining a profitable fishing sector, but it will require effort and commitment from all partners. We need to keep an eye on the prize of a fishing sector that has a future, without compromising our marine environment.

As the cabinet secretary outlined, the already-agreed increase in the North Sea cod and haddock TAC for the next year is welcome. That will help to ease the introduction of the new CFP. The successful negotiation of inward transfers of haddock and whiting quota is also welcome, as scientific evidence suggests that those stocks are in good shape.

In the fisheries debate last year, Labour’s amendment called for a clear plan of action to introduce the discard ban. I hope that I can be convinced today that that is in place and that the Government is supporting the sector in the efforts that have to be made.

We should not forget why we are introducing a discard ban. Discarding bycatch fish or fish whose quality was not high enough was a practice for many years, particularly as the financial incentive increased. It took a television campaign and a public outcry to mobilise the movement against that practice, whose time was up. That can be a good thing that will respect our seas and the natural resource that they give us, and it can open up new opportunities for the sector.

Scotland has been a fishing nation at the forefront of good practice, and we should recognise the commitment of much of our fleet to achieve that. That has taken investment and tough decisions. I recognise the frustration that there can be at the behaviour of other countries and the importance of the need for a level playing field, but the new CFP is a further challenge for our sector. The nature of Scottish fishing will make it very difficult to deliver a discard plan. We need to ensure that we have robust plans in place to deliver.

Last year, the cabinet secretary spoke about the need for the European Commission to provide fishermen with additional quota to enable the landing of all fish that are caught. He argued that the Commission must give us the tools to put in place a sensible and practical discards ban. I do not disagree on the need for greater flexibility, which is crucial, but we also need greater regional decision making and planning that increasingly identify and make best use of a shared quota and resource.

We also need a plan from the Scottish Government. We need a clear indication of the measures that it expects to be introduced and of what checks and balances it will bring into the sector to reward those who fish responsibly and work to meet the new standard. If fleets are struggling to change or are resistant to change, they should be supported to adapt, or compliance measures can be introduced.

Next year, there will be huge challenges for our mixed fisheries. There will be huge difficulties. We do not have the right quota at the moment, but there will be ways to make things easier.

Scotland has been at the forefront of selective gears, but we can do more in that area. Too many vessels are not using identified selective gear. We need to consider spatial management measures if we are to focus on avoiding catching unwanted fish. We need investment in research and development to support work in our universities to develop innovative solutions.

An increased or changed quota is of course important, but we must also work hard to develop markets for less popular species. The Scottish Government’s economic analysis identifies offsetting economic benefits of that. Introducing measures that will enable the landing and selling of all fish that are currently discarded, or increasing selectivity so that no unwanted fish are caught in the first place, has the potential to add up to £200 million to the landed value by 2020.

We need more flexibility from the Commission, but that will take us only so far. The approach means changes for our fleets but, if we start planning now for the challenges ahead and if we decide on and are clear about the measures that will need to be introduced and the expectation that they will need to be delivered, there will be rewards.

By 2015, Scotland’s fleets must show that they are doing all that is in their powers to fish at sustainable levels and deliver maximum sustainable yield. That must be achieved by 2020 at the latest. We need to develop a clear road map now that will set us on the right path for the next few years. The emphasis is often seen as being on the restrictive measures of selectivity, temporal and spatial management and behaviour change, but we should also work out ways to reward the good guys—the fleets that are taking the responsibility seriously and delivering on the environmental objectives.

The Scottish Government has consulted on quota allocation policy. The cabinet secretary will be aware that the period of restriction has been problematic or detrimental for some UK operators in Scotland. I understand that there has so far been little evidence of quota being held speculatively or as an investment. However, the Scottish Government makes a case that the quota is Scotland’s national asset, and I await the outcome of its consultation.

If there are changes, they could present the opportunity to create a pool of quota, which could be used to recognise the efforts that fleets make to comply. That could be used to reward vessels that provide social and economic benefit to communities—vessels that support fishing communities, provide employment opportunities and support a local economy—as well as a vibrant offshore sector.

I move amendment S4M-11825.3, to leave out from second “and supports” to end and insert:

“; believes that the European Commission must deliver greater flexibility and regionalisation to achieve this, and calls on the Scottish Government to set out a clear plan of action to ensure that the discard ban is implemented and sufficiently monitored.”