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HOW SCOTLAND'S SEA FISHERIES INDUSTRY CAN BE: Sustainable
Challenges
The key challenge is to ensure that stocks at risk recover, to manage stocks better to avoid "boom and bust" and to safeguard the quality and diversity of the marine environment, whilst ensuring the continued viability of the industry and local communities.
Approach and action
Sustainable fisheries for the long term -safeguarding fish stocks to provide stable fishing opportunities for the Scottish fleet
Safeguarding the marine environment -encouraging responsible fishing
Improving understanding and decision making -maintaining, innovating and enhancing sea fisheries science
The actions we shall take include devising sustainability strategies for each key stock, supporting accreditation schemes and establishing a virtual fisheries science institute to build on our world class science.
Outcomes
- More stocks within safe biological limits;
- Progress towards sustainability of individual stocks;
- Improved understanding and acceptance of scientific information in the industry and more science/industry collaborative projects; and
- Positive trends in other marine environment indicators being developed under other initiatives.
HOW SCOTLAND'S SEA FISHING INDUSTRY CAN BE: Profitable
Challenges
The key challenge is for the industry to maximise the return available from the catch; this is key to competitiveness in the global market place. It will mean both fish catchers and processors working together with shorter supply chains.
Approach and action
Competitiveness from net to plate -promoting business efficiency and improved market focus
Supporting Scottish Sea Fisheries businesses -partnership for a stronger sector
Supporting fisheries dependEnt communities to continue with the business of sea fishing and to diversify -reflecting their needs in fisheries management and supporting their wider economic development
The actions we shall take include coordinating economic development support through a Sea Fisheries Business Forum, working to promote market focus, developing commercial strategies for key stocks and bringing sea fisheries fully into the community planning process.
Outcomes
Success will mean:
- Improved economic returns for fishermen;
- Improvement in global competitiveness with a higher quality, more value added product commanding higher prices in target markets;
- More export success and more success in developing premium UK markets for Scotland's seafood industry; and
- Continued contribution from the sea fishing industry to the economies of remote and fragile communities in Scotland.
HOW SCOTLAND'S SEA FISHING INDUSTRY CAN BE: Well-managed
Challenges
The key challenge is to overcome the shortcomings in governance in the fisheries management system and address the economic circumstances that create the pressures for non-compliance.
Approach and action
Re-building good governance -ensuring an influential voice for the industry and other stakeholders in fisheries management
Adopting effective management measures -simplification and better regulation
Improved compliance -effective enforcement pre and post landing
The actions we shall take include modernising quota management, taking further the work of the Regional Advisory Councils and introducing a programme of measures to improve enforcement both domestically and across the EU.
Success will mean:
- Improved satisfaction with fisheries science and the governance and regulatory framework in Scotland and the EU; and
- Improved compliance with quota and other fisheries management controls.
There is a bright future for Scotland's sea fisheries industry and our fishing communities, where they can share in Scotland's social and economic progress. If the challenges it faces can be met it can become...
..."A Scottish sea fishing industry that is sustainable and profitable and supports strong local communities, managed effectively as an integral part of coherent policies for the marine environment."
Making this a reality will require action under the three elements of good fisheries management for the long term where the industry is:
- Sustainable - nurturing the marine resources on which it depends by playing its part to safeguard the marine ecosystem so those resources can benefit future generations as part of a thriving and biologically diverse marine environment;
- Profitable - efficient, market focussed, entrepreneurial - maximising the return from every fish by delivering a safe, quality and globally competitive product;
- Well-managed - socially responsible, playing by the rules, influenced and influencing and regulated effectively with the full involvement of the industry.
In this way, an industry of historic importance will have continuing relevance for the future. We want to create the conditions for Scotland's sea fisheries industry to thrive in a thriving marine environment to, in turn, foster thriving coastal communities, for generations to come.
Scotland is situated in the middle of some of the most productive fishing grounds in the world and we are one of Europe's most important fishing nations. Scotland's sea fishing industry has a long and proud past and sea fishing has always been a part of Scottish life. That remains the case today. Last year the 2,400 vessels in the Scottish fleet landed 391 thousand tonnes of fish, worth £280million. Much of that fish was processed in the 285 Scottish fish processing factories. Together, these two sectors account for around 14,900 jobs and are the economic mainstay of communities all round our coasts but particularly in the North-East, the North-West and Shetland. Scottish seafood is exported all over the world, from China to Spain.
The state of the fish stocks in the EU are assessed every year to determine if they are being harvested sustainably and the fishing opportunities (quota) allowed to the industry are adjusted accordingly. 5 out of 7 commercially important fish stocks for Scotland are currently classified as harvested sustainably. However, it has been necessary for the whitefish fleet to contract in recent years in order to recover cod stocks in Scotland's main fishing grounds, a considerable sacrifice from our sea fishing businesses and communities for the future of the stocks. Most of our fish stocks are an internationally shared resource and it is necessary to regulate them, and the industry in a complex international system. This is not always able to deliver stability for sea fishing businesses. There are further economic challenges for both fish catchers and processors with global competition, market prices and the costs of fuel and waste disposal affecting the bottom line.
These challenges can be overcome. This framework looks to the future and sets out how it can be done. There is a rising global demand for seafood resting on its reputation as a healthy, natural and renewable product. Scotland's sea fisheries industry is well-placed to take advantage of this. The key is to respect the marine environment on which fishing depends and for fish catchers and processors to work together to deliver a quality product from the net to our plates. In taking the Framework forward we will ensure that all those with an interest have a say in how the fisheries that are important to Scotland are managed.
Want to find out more about Scotland's sea fisheries industry and our framework? This leaflet summarises a longer document which can be found, together with other information at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Fisheries/ This includes our separate strategy for Scotland's inshore fisheries. You may also like to check the details of our marine strategy and our response to the Net Benefits report.
We will convene an Advisory Group to firm up the framework and decide on the key activities and lead responsibilities to take it forward.