Fishing industry to maintain quotas, Minister confirms
The Scottish Government has pledged to maintain quota allocations for the fisheries industry when the devolution of new powers is confirmed.
The Scottish Government has pledged to maintain quota allocations for the fisheries industry when the devolution of new powers is confirmed.
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said maintaining existing allocations through the Fixed Quota Allocation (FQA) system would provide stability to the industry.
Ministers will also aim to make it easier for new businesses to acquire smaller bundles of quota allocation units.
The Government said the need to reach agreement on a new fisheries management concordat with the other three UK fisheries administrations meant it has only now been possible to finalise its plans following a consultation on quota allocations in 2014.
Speaking at the Scottish Fishermen's Federation dinner, Mr Ewing said: In the face of uncertainty and a lack of leadership from the UK Government, I can confirm that by maintaining fisheries quotas we will provide much-needed stability. We believe this is the right way to encourage investment in new vessels and ensure the sustainability of the sector.
This underlines why we must have new powers over our share of UK quotas. We cannot tolerate a situation where our quotas can be exported out of Scotland, and ultimately lost to future generations.
The new concordat, which I hope to see published soon, will enhance our control and ensure we can protect quotas."