PILLAR 2 – MANAGING OUR FISHING OPPORTUNITIES TO

MAXIMISE PROFITABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

PILLAR 2Managing our

Fishing Opportunities to

Maximise Profitability and Sustainability

EU MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS (CFP)

Change is Possible Now

MANAGING OUR FISHING OPPORTUNITIES TO MAXIMISE

PROFITABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY3 key themes

• Change is Possible Now

• Flexible and Transparent Fisheries Management Across the UK

• Improving Quota and Effort management

Change is Possible Now

• Fishing opportunities defined and constrained through the CFP. But doesn’t mean that all change has to wait for new policy and new regulation.

• Looking for all the flexibility we can find in current arrangements to break the mould of the failing CFP.

• Scotland and its fishermen have taken risks to develop catch quotas and fully documented fisheries.

• We accept the challenge of working together to radically reduce discards and fishing mortality – But certain we can achieve it without CRP`s crude and draconian effort cuts. Not least time at Sea Not Fishing being the count.

Flexible and Transparent Fisheries Management Across the UK

• Wish to work constructively and creatively with the new UK coalition Govt to agree clearer and more flexible settlement of functions across all UK Administrations.

• It is not a bad thing but over time the fleets have developed quite differently.

• Current arrangements are essentially a hangover from pre-devolution when Fisheries Ministers were part of one administration.

• SG favours a new position that allows Administrations to respond positively to different priorities, whilst maintaining the legal obligation that each Govt fulfils its role in ensuring the UK meets its International obligations.

• This approach is not about preventing businesses from evolving and moving operations around the UK. But, about giving the ability to manage fisheries in the way that makes sense for them.

Improving Quota and Effort management

• PO`s have a central role to play in Scotland's fishing communities, a thorough review is overdue, and, we should look to the future in terms of how they might play an even more important role.

• Marine Scotland has recently commenced that process of consultation to develop an agenda for reform.

• In year cuts in effort allocations and changes to rules cause disruption and uncertainty. We want to get away from that, allocate to those that need it, reducing costs and allow skippers to have confidence in their allocations.

Conclusions• The Scottish Government should seek support from the UK and from other EU Member

States for the further development and expansion of the catch quota approach in 2011, potentially to include more species and to increase the amount of discards that may be landed rather than dumped at sea.

• The Scottish Government should seek the support of the UK, other EU Member States and the European Commission to make common sense changes to the way that time at sea is monitored and controlled

• The Scottish Government should drive discussions with other Fisheries Administrations and agree reforms that offer fishermen clarity and the different parts of the UK greater scope to develop management arrangements appropriate to their circumstances .

• The Scottish Government and fishing stakeholders should build on the model of the Conservation Credits Steering Group (CCSG) in managing fishing opportunities. The CCSG has grappled with issues of great difficulty and controversy, but is considered by many observers and interested parties across Europe as providing a model for partnership approaches in the management of sustainable fisheries. We endorse that view .

• The Scottish Government and industry should progress in partnership improvements to sectoral management led by POs

Key points for SFC

• Does the SFC agree with these conclusions?