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Speaking on his return from the EU's Fisheries Council in Brussels, Scottish Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead today welcomed the acknowledgement that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has failed and that a new approach is required.

However, Mr Lochhead warned that Scotland faces a tough challenge to negotiate changes that will protect the country's historic fishing rights and to return decision-making to Scotland.

Mr Lochhead said:

"At long last there is widespread recognition that Europe's damaging CFP is failing and is over-centralised. Scotland has been one of the CFP's strongest critics and we are in the vanguard for change. The acknowledgement that top-down micro-management of Scotland's rich fishing grounds has failed our fishing communities and damaged fish stocks is a huge step forward.

"But it is clear that Scotland faces a big challenge to ensure that genuine decision-making is returned to Scotland and that our historic fishing opportunities are protected under any new arrangements to be agreed in the coming years. It is certainly the case that change can't come quick enough because with every day that passes Scotland suffers that bit more under the discredited CFP.

"It was encouraging to hear the European Commission citing Scotland's own measures as the way forward and this supports the Scottish Government's view that we should be left to put our own fisheries conservation measures in place as Scotland's fishermen know best how to manage our own waters.

"We will continue to devote our energy to influencing the future of EU fisheries policy and to ensure that the UK Government and European Commission understand the importance of fishing to Scotland and the need for radical change."

26/05/2009

Speaking on his return from the EU's Fisheries Council in Brussels, Scottish Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead today welcomed the acknowledgement that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has failed and that a new approach is required.

However, Mr Lochhead warned that Scotland faces a tough challenge to negotiate changes that will protect the country's historic fishing rights and to return decision-making to Scotland.

Mr Lochhead said:

"At long last there is widespread recognition that Europe's damaging CFP is failing and is over-centralised. Scotland has been one of the CFP's strongest critics and we are in the vanguard for change. The acknowledgement that top-down micro-management of Scotland's rich fishing grounds has failed our fishing communities and damaged fish stocks is a huge step forward.

"But it is clear that Scotland faces a big challenge to ensure that genuine decision-making is returned to Scotland and that our historic fishing opportunities are protected under any new arrangements to be agreed in the coming years. It is certainly the case that change can't come quick enough because with every day that passes Scotland suffers that bit more under the discredited CFP.

"It was encouraging to hear the European Commission citing Scotland's own measures as the way forward and this supports the Scottish Government's view that we should be left to put our own fisheries conservation measures in place as Scotland's fishermen know best how to manage our own waters.

"We will continue to devote our energy to influencing the future of EU fisheries policy and to ensure that the UK Government and European Commission understand the importance of fishing to Scotland and the need for radical change."

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