Shetland Fishermen’s Association is lobbying the UK and Scottish Governments over next year’s cod quotas in order to prevent the local whitefish fleet having to tie up.
The SFA is pressing ministers and civil servants to recognise that zero catch quotas for cod, as advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), would be a disaster for skippers and crew whose livelihoods depend upon the stock.
Cod is part of what is known as a mixed fishery, meaning that is caught along with other whitefish, so denying fishermen the right to catch it would effectively be prohibiting them from catching any whitefish.
SFA executive officer Daniel Lawson said: “When it comes to defending the legitimate interests of the fleet, we have always sought to make our case in the strongest terms possible to government, and this latest situation is no different.
“We will be striving to get politicians and fisheries managers to recognise that the ICES advice on Northern Shelf cod is based on some highly questionable assumptions and to listen to our plea for a more cautious and evidence-based approach to protect both the cod stock and fishing communities.
“We will also be working hard to ensure that the Norwegian and EU governments understand that further quota reductions would not do anything to encourage growth in the cod stock”
You Might Also Like:
The SFA proposal includes:
- Extended spawning ground closures across the North Sea and enhanced real-time closures to protect juvenile cod.
- Voluntary 30% TAC reductions for haddock and whiting to reduce cod bycatch in mixed fisheries.
- Doubling the scientific quota available for cod studies through industry contribution, to help resolve the scientific uncertainties which plague the Northern Shelf cod stock assessment.
- TAC constraint to limit annual quota fluctuations, ensuring some stability for fishing businesses.
The association warns that drastic TAC cuts would devastate North Sea fishing communities, particularly in Scotland, where cod supports £310 million in fishing opportunities. A much-reduced TAC also risks undermining the landing obligation by forcing vessels towards discards in such a mixed whitefish fishery, such as around Shetland, where cod is unavoidable. The alternative would be to stop fishing, tie up, and go out of business.
