Scottish fishermen win £16m share of extra funding as new arrangements are put in place
PROPOSED changes to fishing legislation will ensure the industry prospers as the UK leaves the EU, David Mundell said.
He said the UK Government will table an amendment to the fisheries bill that will make it a legal obligation for ministers to pursue a better share of fishing rights than the UK currently receives under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
According to the Scotland Office, between 2012 and 2016 other EU member states’ vessels landed about 760,000 tonnes of fish caught in UK waters a year, with UK vessels landing approximately 90,000 tonnes caught in other member states’ waters.
Speaking ahead of a visit to Peterhead fish market in Aberdeenshire today, Mr Mundell announced £37.2 million of extra funding as new fishing arrangements are put in place, with Scotland’s share at £16.4m.
He said: “This change to the fisheries bill creates a watertight commitment to getting the best possible deal for Scotland’s fishermen and their communities and should give them a great deal of confidence about the future. The extra funding announced today will also help support our fishermen over the implementation period.”
The announcement was welcomed by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation.
Chief executive Bertie Armstrong said: “The industry remains adamant there must be no link between access to UK waters and trade with the EU. We look forward to contributing to UK and Scottish Government consultations on allocation of the additional funding both for transition and after Brexit to help manage expansion of the sector.”
Meanwhile, Scotland’s Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing has written to UK ministers voicing concerns over what he said was potential damage to Scotland’s aquaculture and seafood interests.
In a letter to Environment Secretary Michael Gove, he wrote: “The withdrawal agreement reached by the UK Government risks being very damaging to Scotland’s aquaculture and wider seafood interests, with its explicit linkage of trade and access to UK waters in direct contradiction to what was promised in the UK Government’s White Paper on Fisheries.”