Meeting of the Parliament 03 December 2015
Tavish Scott has quite rightly highlighted the importance of those talks, and we will be ensuring that Scotland gets a fair and just deal on access and quota shares. At the same time, we have to take into account the implications for Scotland’s white-fish sector, which will benefit from the talks as much as the other sectors.
On the cod recovery plan, which I was just referring to, it is good news that, even though it is still in place and is dysfunctional, member states and even the European Commission accept that it should be repealed. I call on the European Commission to bring forward a proposal to do so as soon as possible. I assure Parliament that, in the meantime, the Scottish Government will not implement any proposals for further cuts in days at sea.
Many other North Sea white-fish stocks are showing similarly encouraging trends, with healthy increases for haddock, monkfish and megrim. In the west, Rockall haddock and nephrops are also enjoying increased catch advice for 2016. Again, there are challenges in some of this year’s science, including more difficult advice for North Sea nephrops, prawns, whiting and saithe. In the west, the fortunes of cod and whiting remain stubbornly intractable. However, we see some welcome increase in pelagic stocks, including of North Sea herring, sprats, Atlanto-Scandian herring and western horse mackerel.