New ban will hit part-time creelers

A BAN on using empty milk cartons, barnacle-encrusted gallon cans, and netted footballs, to mark the whereabouts of lobster pots is being introduced by the Scottish Government.

Makeshift floats have been used for generations by parttime creelers fishing from small boats, but the new law will bring an end to the practice.

Legislation will come into force in spring 2019 which will require licensed fishermen to mark their gear with their vessels’ assigned port letters and numbers.

Unlicensed fishermen will be required to mark their gear with a unique reference number which can be obtained from their local Marine Scotland Fishery Office.

The measures follow a consultation which set out proposals for marking static fishing gear by size of buoy, depending on the species targeted and the location of creels and pots.

Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing said that poorly marked static gear “could be dangerous to fishermen and lead to conflict”.

He said: “Our inshore waters are important to our rural economy and are the source of some of our best seafood, which is why it is important we continue to modernise.

“By introducing a mixture of legislation and guidance, we will be able to address these safety issues, improve the marine environment and make it easier for any gear accidentally towed or lost to be returned to its owner.

“We are also taking into account the concerns of fishermen worried about the impact to their business of gear loss during adverse weather or strong tides.

“These measures tie in with our efforts to deliver real improvements through our Inshore Fisheries Strategy.”

The move is a victory for fulltime fishermen, who have long regarded the efforts of amateurs as unwanted competition for increasingly scarce stocks.

The Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation said it also welcomed the announcement of work to estimate the amount of gear used by unlicensed fishermen.

Alistair Sinclair, of the Federation, said: “This initiative is a progressive step towards ensuring gear marking is appropriate and fit for purpose.”