Fishing proposals ‘may halve fleet in Scotland’

The Scottish Executive announced on 28 January 2003 a financial package worth up to £50 million to assist Scotland's fishing communities. The package, targeting processors and the wider fishing community, consists of a decommissioning scheme of up to £40 million, and a transitional element of up to £10 million to secure a six-month breathing space for the industry to adjust to European Union cuts in cod and other whitefish quotas in a structured manner. However, Scottish fishing leaders warned that plans to reduce the size of the Scottish whitefish fleet will make the industry uneconomic. The moves were defended by the UK Fisheries Minister, Elliot Morley, who negotiated the compromise deal in Brussels, which will see cod fishing reduced by 45% rather than the total ban demanded by marine scientists.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2003/01/SEen304.aspx http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2003/01/SEen304.aspx

---