Scottish fishermen say EU quota deal is 'largely positive'

The Scottish Fishermen's Federation has described the annual quota deal struck in Brussels as "largely positive".

The agreement reached by EU fisheries ministers saw increases approved for key species including cod and whiting.

Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, said the deal would bring "welcome economic stability" to fishing communities.

The Fish Council deal was also welcomed by the UK and Scottish governments.

Part of the agreement, struck in the early hours of Wednesday, will see cod and whiting come under the so-called discard ban for the first time.

'Real optimism'

That means skippers will be obliged to land catches of these fish even if they have gone over their quota allocation.

The new deal will see a 16.5% increase in the amount of cod that can be caught in the North Sea, while whiting catches could rise by 17%, anglerfish by 20% and 53% for saithe.

The SFF's Bertie Armstrong said: "With Brexit now looming, fishermen can look to the future with real optimism as we are on the cusp of an exciting new era as a coastal state with full control of our 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

"This will give us the opportunity for fairer shares in catching opportunity and better fit-for-purpose sustainable fisheries management, which will benefit our coastal communities."

'Artificially inflated'

Scottish Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that the financial benefits of the new deal would be significant.

He said: "The outcome is extremely positive and our recalculated estimates of the opportunities created from yesterday's agreement are £47m, but of course the fishermen have got to catch the fish.

"Translated into individual species, we were successful in obtaining increases for fish quotas for 16 out of 23 key Scottish stocks."

Mr Ewing acknowledged there had been a 40% cut to haddock quotas for both the North Sea and waters west of Scotland.

However, he added: "There was a cut in the quota to the North Sea, but it's slightly more complicated than that because last year there was an error and the quota was artificially inflated and there was a much smaller level of haddock actually caught.

"Therefore, in real terms, there is not such a cut, but overall these are extremely strong results for Scottish fisheries."

The UK fisheries minister George Eustace said the agreement struck the right balance for the marine environment and our coastal communities.

He said: "To deliver a profitable fishing industry, we must fish sustainably now and in the future. This year we were able to agree further increases in quotas on some valuable species as stocks have recovered, especially in the North Sea.

"As we prepare to leave the European Union we have an opportunity to build on progress made and improve the management of fish stocks in our waters, but we will continue to follow the principles of fishing sustainably and ending the wasteful practice of discarding fish."