Hansard

I am happy to update the member on that after the debate because, clearly, a number of interacting issues will be under negotiation in those talks. Western herring is a particular challenge this year, with zero catches being recommended. As members can imagine, we have discussed that issue with the industry and will keep a close eye on it.

Even for mackerel and blue whiting, where the advice is also less positive than it has been in the past year or two, the mackerel advice remains the third highest since 2002.

Of course, none of the scientific advice has yet been translated into actual quota for 2016. That is what is now being negotiated. Last week, I met representatives of the Scottish industry to ensure that they understood their priorities and that we get our position correct as we go into the talks.

The EU-Norway talks began in Copenhagen a couple of weeks ago and should conclude tomorrow in Bergen. As usual, those talks are crucial for Scotland, accounting for more than 50 per cent of all our quota stock fishing opportunities. If all the scientific advice is followed at this year’s negotiations, we anticipate that, for white fish, around £95 million-worth of quota will derive from the EU-Norway talks, compared with around £3 million-worth from the December council.

The EU-Norway talks set quota for some of our most important North Sea stocks whose management is shared with Norway, including cod, haddock, whiting, saithe and herring. They also establish mutual access arrangements and a range of quota swaps in each other’s waters, which we can use to address some of the challenges that we face.

As we have just discussed, next week sees the start of the EU-Faroe talks, at which we will negotiate the terms of the agreement that provides quota and access opportunities that are worth around £2 million in Faroese waters for our white-fish fleet alone, as well as a refuge for many of our white-fish vessels from the restrictions of the cod recovery zone.

The week after sees the final push at the negotiations in Brussels. This year’s talks are more complicated than usual because, for the first time ever, we are agreeing extra quota to account for fish that were previously discarded. The extra quota will apply to all stocks included in the discard ban next year and the increases are over and above those that I have already mentioned. The quota uplifts from the discard ban will help the fleet to adapt to the times ahead.

Although I very much understand the challenges that we face in implementing the discard ban in our waters, there is no doubt that, in the medium to longer term, the development will be a positive one for the industry. The wasteful practice of throwing perfectly good fish back into the sea, dead, makes no sense to anyone and benefits no one. In 2005, it was estimated that 7.3 million tonnes of fish was discarded globally, which is the equivalent of 8 per cent of all catches. Based on the average per capita fish consumption in Scotland, the total amount of fish that was discarded in 2014 could feed an extra 2 million people. That is equivalent to, for instance, the population of Slovenia.

If we are serious about managing our natural resources, conserving fish stocks and playing a meaningful role in improving global food security, the discard ban is a no-brainer. The pelagic discard ban has been in place for nearly a year, with no significant issues. However, I do not doubt for a second that the demersal, or white-fish, ban which is being phased in from 1 January, will be much more complex, given the highly complex mixed fisheries that we have in our waters, with more than 15 quota species swimming together. I know that Scottish fishermen are concerned about how all of that will be delivered and about the impact on their businesses. I assure everyone that the challenge, although it is big, can be met if we work together. There are many areas in which we are pursuing a partnership approach and the Government is working closely with the industry. That approach is proving to be beneficial.

Most important, we listen to the industry and have worked hard with it through the regionalisation process to avoid a big bang approach in 2016. Instead, we will phase in the discard bans in a pragmatic and proportionate way over the next two years. The arrangements for 2016 are a sensible, pragmatic starting point. Having said that, we know that there is still a lot of work to do. From now until 2019, all the bans will be in place and there will be a process of evolution. It is vital that we build on the experience of this year and next year, because it will be more challenging to get the later years right. We will continue to keep in regular contact with skippers, the onshore sector and everyone else. We will have to adopt more selectivity, spatial measures and a smarter use of our quota, and businesses will have to change how they operate. We know that a one-size-fits-all approach will not succeed, so we must approach this carefully.

We have a discards steering group up and running, which is doing a lot of good work, and we will ensure that the European maritime and fisheries fund will be available to support the measures that will have to be adopted. We will continue to work with other EU member states to resolve any difficulties that arise over the next few years, particularly in relation to choke species, because, in the next fishery, there may be insufficient quota to cover catches of certain species, leaving our vessels unable to catch other quota species. We recognise that fishermen alone cannot fix that and that all countries will be required to work together. There is no point in one country having unfished quota if another country has to stay in port because of the discard ban.

There is a lot to get on with but, as I said at the beginning of my speech, this is a pivotal year for Scotland’s fishing communities and our fishing industry. We have the potential for a massive double benefit for Scotland’s fishermen. We have rising quotas—an incredible number of our vital quotas will experience substantial increases for 2016—and, at the same time, there will be a reduction in the discarding of healthy fish in our waters, which will lead to additional benefits for fisheries and conservation and will leave more fish in the sea to breed for future generations.

I am proud to represent Scotland’s fishermen and will ensure that Scotland’s priorities are at the forefront of the minds of my UK counterparts at the forthcoming negotiations. We will work tirelessly in pursuit of their best interests.

I move,

That the Parliament notes the forthcoming annual fishing negotiations in Brussels and the ongoing negotiations with Norway on shared stocks; welcomes the recent scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which proposes increases to many of Scotland’s key stocks, including North Sea cod, which is at its highest level in a decade; notes that 2016 will see the commencement of the discard ban for whitefish fisheries and that the outcome of the negotiations will be pivotal in supporting the fleet’s implementation, and supports the Scottish Government in its efforts to achieve the best possible outcome for Scotland’s fishermen, coastal communities and wider seafood sectors.