Tag Archives: Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation
Scotland fishing: Inshore limit called for following HPMA debacle
An open letter written by a commercial fisherman has called for restrictions to curb more damaging forms of fishing in inshore waters. Alistair Philp, National Coordinator of the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation, writes: “Now that the threat of the poorly thought-out Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA) proposals has passed, it is time to have a sensible debate about the alternative options.” The letter issued on behalf of the Our Seas coalition, which includes a wide range of coastal organisations, describes a need to “reverse the decades of mismanagement that has already hollowed out much of our inshore fishing industry.” It argues for the reinstatement of an inshore limit akin to or like the historic Inshore limit called for – designed to preserve fish nursery and spawning grounds – such as was in place until 1984. >>click to read<< 14:01
Scottish fishing group asks government to ‘radically rethink’ marine protected area plan
SFF chief executive Elspeth Macdonald said the Scottish Government’s blue economy plans “have been hijacked by the Greens and will push the fishing industry into the red.” “On top of the existing spatial squeeze caused by the dash to build huge offshore windfarms with little consideration for their impact on fisheries, the (Scottish) government wants to close a further 10% of our waters to fishing vessels – with no evidence whatsoever that doing so will achieve ministers’ vague conservation aims, nor any attempt to understand the effect of displacing the fishing fleet,” she said. >click to read< 09:42
Scottish ministers are contesting a judge’s demand to reconsider a no-trawl scheme
Lady Poole made the ruling after ministers said that the revisiting the proposed pilot no-trawl scheme “would serve no practical purpose”. She took action after, in a landmark legal judgement, the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF) won a court challenge over the “right to trawl” in Scotland’s inshore waters which was expected to have a marked bearing in fishing rights across the country.,, But the Scottish Government has decided to appeal her ruling. >click to read< 08:37
Holyrood plans crackdown on recreational caught seafood black market
A crackdown on “hobby fishers” who sell lobsters, prawns, crabs, scallops and other seafood for financial gain was welcomed by an industry leader last night. Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF) chairman Alistair Sinclair said genuine commercial fishers supported efforts to end a practice which was widespread and had “been going on ever since people started to fish”. He was speaking after the Scottish Government launched a consultation on plans to introduce catch limits for hobby fishers in inshore waters. SCFF, which has 480 members around Scotland, has played a key role in discussions on the way forward for hobby and unlicensed fishermen. Mr Sinclair said: “It was widely recognised around the table that there is a black market serving people who want to procure their shellfish as cheaply as possible. “This affects bona fide fishermen who are trying to earn their living from the sea.” Read the rest here 14:41
Creelers and divers join European crew for more power
Scottish shellfish creelers and divers have joined a pan-European coalition to push for “fairer representation” for the inshore fleet. The move sees nine fishermen’s associations from across Scotland under the umbrella of the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF) bolster the clout of small-scale fisheries at European level. It also sees the membership of the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (Life) mushroom to more than 4,000 active fishers. The coalition works to promote the interests of its members by pushing for the proper implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy to grant priority access to fishers who have the least impact on the environment and add the most value to local fishing activities. Read the rest here 12:51
