Shetland fishermen challenge UK and Scottish governments over cod quotas, warning ICES advice threatens whitefish fleet and coastal communities
Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) will increase pressure on both the UK and Scottish Governments over next year’s cod quotas, warning that failure to act will leave the local whitefish fleet tied up at the quayside.
The SFA is lobbying ministers and civil servants to recognise that zero catch quotas for cod, as recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), would be catastrophic for skippers and crew whose livelihoods depend on the stock.
Cod is part of a mixed fishery, caught alongside other whitefish. Denying fishermen the right to catch cod would, in practice, mean prohibiting the landing of any whitefish.
Daniel Lawson, executive officer of the SFA, said: “When it comes to defending the legitimate interests of the fleet, we have always sought to make our case in the strongest terms possible to government, and this latest situation is no different.
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“We will be striving to get politicians and fisheries managers to recognise that the ICES advice on Northern Shelf cod is based on some highly questionable assumptions and to listen to our plea for a more cautious and evidence-based approach to protect both the cod stock and fishing communities.
“We will also be working hard to ensure that the Norwegian and EU governments understand that further quota reductions would not do anything to encourage growth in the cod stock.”
The SFA has outlined a series of proposals designed to avoid devastating cuts and to balance conservation with survival of fishing communities:
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Extended spawning ground closures across the North Sea, combined with enhanced real-time closures to protect juvenile cod.
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Voluntary 30% TAC reductions for haddock and whiting to cut cod bycatch in mixed fisheries.
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Doubling the scientific quota available for cod studies, funded by industry, to help address scientific uncertainties that undermine the Northern Shelf cod stock assessment.
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TAC constraint measures to limit annual quota fluctuations, providing stability for fishing businesses.
The association warns that drastic reductions in Total Allowable Catch (TAC) would devastate North Sea fishing communities, particularly in Scotland, where cod supports around £310 million in fishing opportunities.
A much-reduced TAC also risks undermining the landing obligation by forcing vessels into discards in such a mixed fishery. In areas such as Shetland, where cod is unavoidable, fishermen would face the impossible choice of discarding fish illegally or ceasing to fish entirely. The alternative, the SFA warns, is for boats to tie up and for businesses to collapse.
