Tag Archives: Shetland Fishermen’s Association
Delicate ecosystem of fishing industry must be maintained
From my office window in Lerwick Harbour I can see vans from a range of different marine and electrical engineering companies parked next to whitefish vessels while repairs and servicing work are carried out on board. Those same companies, which provide highly skilled employment of the sort that keeps young people in our community and lay the foundations for a strong future, support the pelagic and inshore fleets. Take away any of these fleets and our vibrant engineering sector would be unsustainable. Simon Collins, >click to read< 15:27
Fishermen press Scotland Office minister on Brexit plans
Shetland fishermen have reiterated their desire to see the UK take control of its waters post-Brexit after meeting with Scotland Office minister Lord Duncan on Friday. Shetland Fishermen’s Association chairman Leslie Tait said he believes the Conservative politician “absolutely understands what a great opportunity Brexit presents for significant growth in Shetland’s single most important industry.” click here to read the story 11:45
Time to discard top-down regulation of Scotland’s fishing
Brussels is not working for any but the bureaucrats, argues Simon Collins At a time when the health of our seas has become a serious and global concern, attention has focused on the fishing industry and the way our wild fish stocks are managed. This is not only understandable but perfectly reasonable. Fishing is by no means the only human activity that affects the sea. It’s probably not even the most important one – pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are obvious candidates – but it has to be regulated somewhere. For somewhere like Shetland, where fishing and aquaculture together account for a third of economic activity, the consequences of a free-for-all would be unthinkable. Read the rest here 21:11
Discard ban delayed
Fishing leaders are high about cod and haddock quotas being set to rise significantly. They are also relieved a plan to introduce a discard ban on cod in three weeks has been delayed by 12 months. However stalled negotiations over Faroe’s right to catch a large percentage of its mackerel quota in EU, especially Scottish and Shetland waters, has aggravated local fishermen. Shetland Fishermen’s Association executive officer Simon Collins said the current agreement is “hopelessly skewed” in favour of Shetland’s Scandinavian neighbours. Read the article here 18:27
Shetland’s fishing leaders want better governance
But all is not well in the fishing ports of Lerwick and Scalloway, as Simon Collins and Brian Isbister – the chief executives of Shetland Fishermen’s Association and Shetland Fish Producers’ Organisation respectively – will soon tell you. They even talk of betrayal by governments in Edinburgh, London and Brussels.,, They called for the recognition of traditional fishing rights, designation of the isles as “small offshore islands which are dependent on fishing” – as set out in the reformed Common Fisheries Policy – and provision for an “opt-out” for local vessels from regulatory and management powers devolved to Scotland. Read the rest here 11:32
Local boats forced off fishing grounds by large Spanish-owned but UK-registered fishing vessels
Simon Collins of the Shetland Fishermen’s Association said large Spanish-owned but UK-registered fishing vessels are obstructing local boats fishing their traditional grounds. Isles MSP Tavish Scott added that the Spanish fishing boats were acting aggressively in waters very close to the Shetland coastline. The vessels, such as the Tahume, the Brisan and the Magan D, are targeting valuable monkfish by shooting miles of gillnets, also described as tangle nets. The nets could be up to 35 miles long forming a wall of netting on the seabed. Read the rest here 15:11
