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PREPARATIONS for next week's December Fisheries Council are gathering pace with Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead once again ready to fight for a fair deal for Scotland's fishermen.
Mr Lochhead is in London today (Tuesday) for talks with Ministers from other others parts of the UK. He will have discussions with industry later in the week and travel to Brussels on Sunday.
Mr Lochhead said: "We are entering a crucial phase for Scotland's fishing communities and fish stocks. Next week promises to be another extremely tough round of negotiations set against a very challenging economic backdrop.
"Efforts to rebuild cod stocks are likely to dominate. The Cod Recovery Plan has been difficult for Scottish fishermen and we continue to seek changes to the way the plan is implemented to allow our fleet to buy back days at sea in exchange for its trailblazing approach to conservation.
"If we can find a way of letting our fishermen to land more of what they catch while reducing their overall fishing effort, we can reduce discards, reward our fleet and help conserve stocks.
"As ever we will face the difficult task of finding the right balance between conserving stocks and enabling our fleet to make a living. We plan to meet the industry in the New Year to take stock of the December Council outcome and discuss a longer-term recovery plan for our fisheries. Our industry produces the world's best seafood and with the right support that means it is better placed than many others to weather the storm and sail into more profitable waters."
Mr Lochhead is in London today (Tuesday) for talks with Ministers from other others parts of the UK. He will have discussions with industry later in the week and travel to Brussels on Sunday.
Mr Lochhead said: "We are entering a crucial phase for Scotland's fishing communities and fish stocks. Next week promises to be another extremely tough round of negotiations set against a very challenging economic backdrop.
"Efforts to rebuild cod stocks are likely to dominate. The Cod Recovery Plan has been difficult for Scottish fishermen and we continue to seek changes to the way the plan is implemented to allow our fleet to buy back days at sea in exchange for its trailblazing approach to conservation.
"If we can find a way of letting our fishermen to land more of what they catch while reducing their overall fishing effort, we can reduce discards, reward our fleet and help conserve stocks.
"As ever we will face the difficult task of finding the right balance between conserving stocks and enabling our fleet to make a living. We plan to meet the industry in the New Year to take stock of the December Council outcome and discuss a longer-term recovery plan for our fisheries. Our industry produces the world's best seafood and with the right support that means it is better placed than many others to weather the storm and sail into more profitable waters."
