WIREDGOV

Almost 70 West Coast fishing boats could be exempted from days at sea restrictions.

Working with fishermen, the Scottish Government has been fighting to have West Coast vessels that catch very little or no cod exempt from EU restrictions. If approved at December Council, this hoped for breakthrough means that 67 Scottish fishing boats that fish for prawns in the Minch and the Clyde will no longer be subjected to days at sea limits.

Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

"This has been a long drawn out process and we are therefore delighted that our determined efforts appear to have paid off. I am sure that other EU Member States will now agree to the exemption of many of our West Coast prawn boats. We will work with the vessels involved to make sure that they continue to catch less than 1.5 per cent cod.

"Working with the industry and our scientists we produced a sensible case to get Scottish boats out of the regime where they clearly do not impact on cod. Hopes have been raised and then dashed before but, through our efforts, we now expect Scotland to benefit from an exemption already granted to other Member States like Spain and Sweden.

"Of course our fight for a fair deal for Scotland's fishermen does not stop here. While our valuable prawn fleets are no longer facing the prospect of new draconian technical measures in 2010, and changes to fishing gear that would have impacted on both viability and safety have been averted, there is still much to do.

"We will continue to work hard to cut our fishermen some much-needed slack. We are determined to fight for measures that will ensure sustainable whitefish fleets and protect our valuable Nephrops fisheries. Any solutions must fit with our circumstances, not the convenience of Brussels."

Scottish Fishermen's Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong, said:

"This has been a long battle on a matter of very important principle - vessels which don't catch cod should not be trapped inside regulation which doesn't apply to them. The Scottish Government is to be congratulated on its refusal to let this matter drop; persistent detailed work over the course of the year in presenting the scientific case has at last been acknowledged. The final regulation is to be signed off in December and we must await the fine print, but I don't think the Scottish Government could have tried harder once the problem was recognised."

The days at sea regime exists as part of the EU's cod recovery plan, which sets days at sea for fishing vessels that are involved in catching cod in the waters around Scotland. There is also a provision in the EU Regulation that allows for vessels or groups of vessels, which do not impact on cod recovery and catch less than 1.5 per cent cod, to be exempted completely from effort management i.e. days at sea limits.

Scotland made a submission earlier in the year to have 67 West of Scotland prawn boats, that fish in the Minch and Eastern Firth of Clyde, exempted under this part of the regulation. Scientific observation and catch data had shown that these vessels caught significantly less than 1.5 per cent cod.

The Commission has today given the go ahead for a vote at December Council to give the exemption of the Minch and Clyde prawn boats the green light for formal exemption from days at sea. If successful the 67 Scottish prawn boats will be free from days at sea limits for as long as scientific observers confirm that their catches continue to comprise of less than 1.5 per cent cod.

The EU cod recovery plan, agreed in 2008, includes targets to reduce substantially cod mortality caused by fishing. To achieve this, the European Commission proposed a 25 per cent reduction in days at sea for Scottish fishing vessels. The Scottish Government was able to secure a deal that allowed cuts in days at sea to be avoided if vessels adopted new conservation measures. The Government has been working with the industry to develop these measures, like the use of more selective fishing gears that allow more fish to escape.

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