This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Measures to combat illegal fishing
26/05/2005
Measures to further tighten controls on illegal fishing were announced today.
New regulations, laid before Parliament today, will introduce greater transparency in the supply chain which will help the fight against illegal fishing.
The regulations will require those in involved in the selling of fish at auction centres, those who provide the auction facilities, and those merchants and processors who buy directly from fishing vessels in Scotland to be registered by Scottish Ministers.
Fisheries Minister Ross Finnie said:
"The Scottish Executive is determined to secure the long term sustainability of our fishing fleet and fishing communities.
"This scheme will help achieve that objective by ensuring there is greater transparency to verify that all fish landed or sold in Scotland are properly recorded and counted against quotas.
"I make no apology for the fact that it will make life more difficult for those who deal in illegally landed fish and enhances our enforcement capabilities in this area.
"It will also allow consumers and those involved in secondary processing or the distribution of fisheries products to be satisfied about the origin of fish and in particular that they have been legitimately caught."
The Scottish Statutory Instrument underpinning the registration of sellers and buyers of first sale fish and designation of auction centres was laid today before the Scottish Parliament. The owners of auction centres and markets where first sale fish are sold by competitive bidding are required to apply for designated status for those premises in order to comply with the scheme.
Those engaged in selling fish at auctions and those buying directly from vessels also have to be registered under the scheme. The registration arrangements reflect the fact that under European rules those marketing first sale fish at auction centres and those buying first sale fish/shellfish from vessels are responsible for making returns to Fisheries Departments on the quantities sold or purchased.
Prior to the introduction of these arrangements fishing vessel agents normally provides all of the returns made to Fisheries Departments. The current arrangements have been criticised by the European Commission for their reliance on fishing vessel agents who are not seen as sufficiently independent in business and financial terms from the catchers.
In Scotland over 90 per cent of landings involve some element of direct sale to merchants/processors. In the shellfish sector almost 100 per cent of catches are sold entirely by direct sale. The greatest regime change will be felt by those operating in the shellfish sector. However buyers dealing in direct sales of shellfish will be given more time to comply with the new arrangements.
Buyers of pelagic fish must be registered by July 1 2005. Other buyers, sellers, and auction centres must be registered by September 1, however buyers who deal in direct sales of shellfish will not have to submit under the new arrangements until early 2006. In the meantime the submission of salesnotes for direct sales of shellfish may continue under the current arrangements.
Further information, and those seeking application forms should contact:
The Registration of Buyers and Sellers Scheme
Room 518
Pentland House
47 Robbs Loan
Edinburgh
EH14 1TY
Telephone: 0131 244 4980
Email: Fishregister@scotland.gsi.gov.uk