Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - It has sadly become all too familiar to take an annual look back at what the past year had in store for Banff & Buchan’s fishing industry and conclude that it has been a difficult period. The last twelve months have proven no exception.
Soaring oil prices for much of the year led to skyrocketing costs for skippers, which the nature of the fishing industry left them unable to pass on to their customers. Banff & Buchan’s fishing industry has seen many challenges over recent years, but the ruinous cost of fuel for much of the year has been one of the toughest. Westminster’s failure to act in this area it has retained responsibility for only made matters far worse than they need have been.
At no point in the year was this clearer than when it was suggested by the House of Lords that high fuel prices could be used to drive Scottish fishermen out of business and thereby bring the number of European fishing vessels down to a sustainable level; effectively punishing Scottish skippers for over-fishing by other European countries.
Yet despite these problems, there are also a number of positives that everyone concerned with the industry in Banff & Buchan can take away from the past year.
Although skippers faced a difficult time coping with spiralling bills, the SNP Government moved decisively to help overcome these difficulties through putting in place £29 million to help Scotland’s fishing fleet become more efficient and thereby reduce running costs. This money was put in place to support a three year plan aimed at further modernising the fishing fleet.Equally important has been some much needed success in European negotiations, something which has been all too rare in recent years.
The practice of discarding perfectly good fish in order to meet quota obligations has been a heartbreaking one for skippers and one that the Scottish fleet has been determined to make unnecessary by developing innovative solutions.
By successfully pioneering methods such as real time closure schemes, the Scottish fleet has made a real difference to conservation efforts in the North Sea. These efforts were rewarded in European negotiations with a 30% increase in North Sea Cod quotas, but perhaps more significantly the decision was taken to roll the scheme out across Europe.
There could scarcely be a clearer indication that this Scottish practice is bearing fruit and will help safeguard a profitable and sustainable fishing industry in Banff & Buchan.
As well as in European negotiations, the efforts of the SNP Government to negotiate on behalf of the fishing industry were also successful in lifting the import ban on Scottish fish in Russia. Although the fishing industry south of the border is still banned, the Scottish Government successfully convinced Russia to bring an end to its restriction on Scottish companies and open up a vital market worth over £40 million to the industry.
These successful negotiations demonstrate what is possible with a government that unashamedly puts Scotland’s key interests, like fishing, first. Whether by providing a strong Scottish voice in Europe, or through putting in place the necessary funding to help the industry cope with the challenges it faces, the SNP Government has consistently fought for Scotland’s fishing industry. Although there will undoubtedly be further challenges ahead of the fishing industry in the future, I know that those in the industry can rest assured that this Scottish Government will stand up for it and offer every possible support, come what may.
