Fisheries
March 16, 2008 5:18 PM
By Jim Hume MSP
By Jim Hume MSP
1. Thank you presiding officer. Parts of the South of Scotland have a particular interest in fisheries, notably Eyemouth & coastal Berwickshire, and towards the south west in for example Annan.
The fishing industry encompasses not just the fishermen, but all the related work that goes on - deshelling, processing and packing for example.
Therefore our sea fishing sector with its related industries and our sea fishing communities are mutually dependent. Not only are they integral to the heritage and traditions of those communities, they are also essential building blocks for the future of the local economy. These industries are vital to retaining population and hence viable communities.
Given this importance to small, coastal communities, can the Cabinet Secretary confirm what his department is doing to ensure that communities such as Eyemouth and coastal Berwickshire receive all the support available to them by pressing for fisheries dependent area status? And can the Cabinet Secretary assure my constituents that the Scottish Government is actively working with industry to ensure a viable sector both off and onshore in the years ahead?
There has been cross party pressure, even from his own party to deliver Fishery Dependant Status for Eyemouth and the Berwickshire Coast - Can the CS confirm that he will deliver on this one important issue and when?
D&G Council is concerned that the traditonal Solway net fishings are under threat from angling interests. Can the CS confirm what he has done to address this?
2. Thank you Presiding Officer. Liberal Democrats have consistently argued for further reform of the CFP to give local fishermen and other stakeholders a better say in the management of their own regional waters. Britain would not be able to withdraw from the CFP without incurring massive fines from the EU or having to negotiate an opt-out deal with all the other EU member states, so in practical terms leaving the CFP is impossible. The SNP need to come clean about their plans now they are in government.
Can the Cabinet Secretary therefore confirm whether or not he thinks Scotland would be better out of the Common Fisheries Policy?
Reference:-
Mr Lochhead told BBC Scotland's Good Morning Scotland: "Norway have all the cards when it comes to EU Norway talks. I'm sure that small countries like Scotland can learn lessons from the power the Norwegians wield over fish in the North Sea and elsewhere. Effectively Norway are able to play EU countries off against each other."
LDs - radical reform of CFP needed. "We will also seek to reform the conduct of the EU-Norway negotiations to make the process more open and transparent."
3. Can the First Minister tell me what progress has been made on Richard Lochhead's 20 point plan he submitted to DEFRA in October?
Reference:-
"With nearly a third of Europe's waters, and the lion's share of the UK's fishing interests, Scotland deserves a louder voice in Europe. This Government is making that demand a priority. I have submitted a 20-point plan to Defra which not only calls for a greater role for the Scottish Government in negotiations, but also greater participation all round. We need more direct involvement of our fishermen and our fishing communities to prepare for the forthcoming talks and a separation between the English position and the UK position." Richard Lochhead, 10/10/07
4. Can the First Minister tell us if the final EU Treaty notes the continuing state of the competence on fishing, will the SNP Government refuse to support ratification of the Treaty in the UK?
Reference:-
The draft EU Constitution proposed no changes to competence over fisheries (which is shared between the EU and member states) nor over the conservation of marine biological resources under the Common Fisheries Policy (which has been exclusively within the competence of the Community since 1979).
Marine conservation has always been an exclusive competence of the European Union. The original Act of Accession back in the 1970s which made it quite clear that: "The Council, acting on a proposal from the Commission, shall determine conditions for fishing with a view to ensuring the protection of the fishing grounds and conservation of the biological resources of the sea.
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