Tag Archives: Scottish fishermen
Scottish fishermen say marine protection plans will wreck coastal communities
“It’s about justice,” says Angus MacPhail, a creel fisher off Barra, in the Outer Hebrides, about the marine protection plans that he believes will devastate island cultures like his own. The outcry over these highly protected marine areas (HPMAs) – a key part of the Bute House agreement that brought the Scottish Greens into government with the SNP in 2021 – has been heartfelt, with accusations that the policy is poorly evidenced, weakly consulted and dismissive of local experience. He insists the historic comparison to the Highland clearances is “no exaggeration” – he says closing these inshore fishing grounds won’t just destroy the fleet but the already fragile island infrastructure that relies on it, from net makers to schools bolstered by fishers’ offspring. >click to read< 09:12
HMPAs: Ross Greer put in his place by furious fishermen over ‘contemptuous’ marine ban tweet
Ross Greer made a “contemptuous comment” about the impact of fishing bans on coastal areas amid the ongoing backlash against the proposed Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs). “The fisherman in the North Sea of the 1830s could catch one ton of halibut a day. Now the annual halibut take of the North Sea is two tons.” Fifth generation fisherman Kenneth MacNab said: “You know absolutely nothing about fishing or stocks but your welcome to come out anytime you wish just to let you see what actual work is and what fishermen have to do to support their communities to put it into perspective HPMAs will be 10 times worse than Brexit ever was.” >click to read< 07:49
Scottish fishermen launch survey of North Sea fish stocks to tackle government’s ‘poor science’
Scottish fishermen have revealed plans to fund additional surveys of North Sea white fish stocks in a bid to tackle the Scottish Government’s ‘poor science’. The Shetland Fishermen’s Association and the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association are organizing “rigorous, transparent studies of key fish stocks that are fit for purpose”. The groups, which account for more than 80% of the UK’s white fish catches, criticized the Scottish Government for following “poor science” in its recent decision to close the Clyde cod-box, which led to its plans to fund its own scientific research into the North Sea. >click to read< 11:37
Scottish fishermen say their industry is in crisis after Brexit
Scottish fisherman Alistair Sinclair hasn’t taken his boat out since March of last year, the beginning of the pandemic. Sinclair has been a fisherman for over 40 years and says the industry has never experienced a crisis quite like this one. The crisis he’s referring to is not the pandemic — it’s Brexit. Since Jan. 1, when Britain formally left the European Union, truckloads of fish have been stopped at ports on both sides of the English Channel.,, Sinclair says Scottish fishermen are within weeks of declaring bankruptcy. >click to read< 12:21
‘Mackerel wars’ Scottish fishermen at risk as Iceland & Greenland plot to target UK stocks
Scottish fishermen face an uncertain future after greedy decision makers in Iceland and Greenland announced they would dramatically increase they amount of mackerel they intend to catch.,,, The clash has been dubbed “mackerel wars” by a senior British MEP, who is chairman of the European Parliament’s fisheries committee. Liberal Democrat Chris Davies said: “Partnership is essential if shared fish stocks are to be managed sustainably. Iceland’s actions are greedy and irresponsible. >click to read< 11:16
Scottish fishermen face cuts to mackerel quota
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Ices), an influential group of scientists whose advice helps to shape fisheries policy in the EU and elsewhere, has called for north-east Atlantic mackeral catches to be slashed by nearly 70%. Mackeral was worth £162 million, or 29% of the total catch by value for the Scottish fleet last year. Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association chief executive Ian Gatt said yesterday the proposed cut was a “huge concern” and he would be meeting European Commission officials today to discuss it. >click to read<08:04
Please Bring Our Boys Back Home – Song to remember lost fishermen races up charts
A new song in memory of two Scottish fishermen who were lost when the Nancy Glen prawn trawler sank is climbing the charts. Yesterday morning, within hours of its release, Please Bring Our Boys Back Home, was racing up the download charts of Amazon and iTunes.,, Proceeds will go to the families of Tarbert fishermen Duncan MacDougall, 46, and Przemek Krawczyk, 38, who lost their lives when their boat sank in Loch Fyne, a mile from their home village, on 18 January.A third crewman, John Miller, 34, also from Tarbert, survived after being rescued by a passing vessel. >click to read< >click to play, or download<11:22
Scottish fishermen fear they will lose out after voting for Brexit
James Stevens has spent 37 years fishing out of Peterhead. When he began, some 450 boats frequently filled the granite harbour on Scotland’s rugged northeast coast. Today only about 100 trawlers regularly leave Peterhead to ply their trade in the North Sea. Like almost everyone in Peterhead, Stevens blames the European Union – and particularly the unpopular common fisheries policy – for his industry’s decline. In June, the skipper of the Harvest Hope voted for Brexit “for my children and my grandchildren”. Stevens is “chuffed” that the UK will be leaving the EU, but his pleasure is tinged with a note of concern. He is worried that fishing could become a bargaining chip for both the UK and Scottish governments during the Brexit negotiations. “There is concern that we will be sold down the river again by government,” says fisherman Peter Bruce. He would like to see article 50 – the mechanism to trigger Britain’s formal exit talks with the EU – invoked quickly but that is unlikely. Read the story here 17:27
Peterhead: Scottish fishermen see benefits of cutting free from EU’s net
At 7.30am on a fresh weekday in northeast Scotland, Peterhead fish market is in full swing. Agents representing local fishermen reel off latest prices for haddock, hake and halibut at the top of their voices, like gruff bingo callers. Buyers, wrapped up in heavy coats, cast a critical eye over plastic boxes filled with catch fresh from the vast North Sea. Peterhead is Europe’s largest fish market. After many difficult years, business is slowly improving. The buyers’ stubbed pens recorded sales of £180 million last year, and plans are afoot for a £49 million (€62 million) expansion of the sprawling port funded, in part, by European Union grants. But there is little love for the EU among Peterhead’s fishermen, many of whom blame Brussels for imposing inflexible regulations and failing to protect their industry from foreign fleets. Read the rest here 21:41
Significant increases in fishing quotas for Scottish fishermen
The Scottish Government said the deal follows talks between the EU and Norway. It was agreed that the total allowable catch (TAC) for cod can increase by 15%, while haddock catches have been given a 30% boost, with an additional top up of 17% for vessels affected by the discard ban – giving a total increase of over 47%. The quota for North Sea herring will increase by 16% next year. Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “These significant increases for both haddock and cod, in line with scientific advice, are good news for the fishing industry. Read the article here 20:19
