Meeting of the Parliament 03 December 2015
I suspect that that is the truth, but if we think about what the Faroese caught before 2005, we are talking about a huge impact on our industry.
Another key issue for the pelagic sector is the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea advice for a zero TAC for western herring. The Pelagic Advisory Council has proposed positive initial plans to rebuild that stock and improve the quality of the scientific data on it but, to do that, it needs a quota in order to be able to progress the scientific programme. That is a hugely important issue for pelagic fishermen, and I hope that the cabinet secretary will push for it at the December council.
I must again voice my support for the west coast fishermen who continue to campaign against the proposed marine protected areas on the west coast, or rather some of the effects that they might have. The fishermen have made it clear that although they are not opposed to MPAs in principle, the current proposals—which do not reflect agreements that they believe were reached in the consultations—are disproportionate and go beyond the protection of specific marine features that MPAs are designed to safeguard. I remain concerned about the potential impact of the MPAs on the livelihoods of individual west coast fishermen and the processors who depend on their catch.
There are also real safety issues, for example in relation to the MPAs in the small isles and Wester Ross, where small mobile nephrops trawlers still operate and where cutting off areas that have hitherto been fished could lead to fishermen having to work in more dangerous waters, could increase pressure on other grounds and could eventually result in fishermen tying up their boats altogether. None of those options is attractive.
I continue to urge the cabinet secretary to take on board fishermen’s concerns. Many fragile communities up and down the west coast are dependent on those local fishing jobs and the associated income.
I move amendment S4M-15031.1, to insert after “implementation”:
“; further notes the significant concerns of fishing industry leaders about the impact of this discard ban on the demersal sector and urges the Scottish Government to consider giving additional support to the sector to help it meet the challenges of the obligation as it is phased in over the next three years”.
15:29Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.