Standing up for Scotland's fishing industry

The fishing industry is vital to the North East of Scotland and an integral part of life here in Banff & Buchan. It underlies not only our local economy but also many of our customs and traditions, both past and present. It is also an industry which has undergone immense reform in recent years, some of which has been painful and difficult for those engaged in the sector.

The fishing trade and the many communities it supports must therefore be protected if we want to see it continue to thrive and remain at the centre of Scottish life and heritage. This is why the SNP Government is implementing proactive measures to support fishermen through the good times and the bad.

With world oil prices escalating, fuel costs have hit the fishing industry hard and threatened the profitability of many fishing-dependent businesses. Indeed the rising price of fuel is an issue affecting everyone in Scotland today, and the impact is sharply felt by the already vulnerable fishing trade. The SNP Government has recognised this strain and responded with a positive action plan to tackle the challenges facing the industry.

This five point plan is a pragmatic, common sense initiative by the Scottish Government. For a start, it has seen £700,000 given to the industry to help offset the impact of fuel costs. This money will go a long way to alleviating pressures on the industry in the short term. Looking further down the road, the plan also sets out the Scottish Government's intention to continue to press the EU on subsidies and to meet with the UK Government to discuss the serious issue of rising fuel prices- the Government that currently retains responsibility for fuel taxes and with it the ability to reduce fuel costs. As part of the plan the Scottish Government will work also with the industry to come up with a fuel efficiency scheme.

The Scottish Government has already established a Task Force to immediately start the ball rolling in implementing these positive measures. The group is made up of key figures across fishing and related sectors in Scotland. But I was particularly pleased to see the Banff & Buchan fishing industry so well represented on the Task Force with Euan Beaton of MacDuff Shellfish and John Wallace of Peterhead Port Authority on the panel. We can rest assured that the voices of the North East sector will be heard loud and clear at the table.

The importance of fishing to our local economy needs little emphasis. The industry is worth almost £2 billion to the Scottish economy and accounts for 1.4 per cent of the country's employment, with the fish catching sector employing over 1,300 people in the North East. Fishing represents 60 per cent of all jobs in Fraserburgh and 28 per cent in Peterhead plus the surrounding travel to work areas. This value is not lost on the SNP Government which is why it is fighting hard to protect the industry and see it flourish into the future.

What's more, the SNP Fisheries Secretary, Richard Lochhead has also established a major review of the management of Scotland's fishing quota to ensure that Scotland's fishing rights are protected and that fresh blood continues to flow into the industry into the future.
But at the heart of these initiatives is not the Government but the industry itself. In seeking the way forward for fishing in Scotland, the SNP is working in partnership with the fishing industry every step of the way and listening to what they have to say. After all, there are few who will know the situation better than those directly involved.

For far too long Scotland's fishing industry was treated as peripheral to the Scottish economy by Westminster governments in EU negotiations and indeed by the former Scottish Executive, following in their lead. The SNP now has the opportunity to put this to right; to put the industry at the centre of decision making and stand up for Scotland's fishing interests at home and abroad. And now that we are in government we are making sure we do just that.