COMMENT: Strong turn out needed to help secure future of fishing industry
Shetland Times
Your industry needs you!
Calling all Shetland fishing crews, fishing families and fishing communities.
Head along if you can to the Town Hall in Lerwick tonight between 6pm and 9pm. Your future livelihoods may depend on it.
The Scottish government is hosting a drop-in event there as part of its public consultation on fisheries management measures that it intends to introduce in offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
The fact that the government has organised a “public consultation” event on a Friday evening is perhaps indicative of how much consultation they would prefer to be doing. Let’s surprise them with an enthusiastic turnout.
This is different to the Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) that ministers were last year forced to scrap – at least for the time being – following a backlash from the industry and Scotland’s coastal communities.
Rather, this is about rules that will be introduced to conserve certain marine features within 10 existing offshore MPAs. The MPA process stretches back to 2011, but Brexit and Covid among other factors have caused significant delays.
However, among the options being considered by government is the exclusion of demersal trawling across the entirety of these MPAs.
The industry as a whole is resisting this approach, with the Shetland Fishermen’s Association, other associations and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation preferring the alternative option of a zonal approach to gear exclusions – something which was already agreed by industry, government and eNGOs alike.
It is clear that this is the least worst option, but it will do nothing to ease fishermen’s suspicions that the Scottish Government has caved in to anti-fishing campaigners – and is intent on more and more blanket restrictions on where boats can operate.
Several points need to be made, strongly and by many, to the officials at the Town Hall this evening.
Any conservation measures introduced in these MPAs must be backed by robust scientific evidence that they will actually achieve their objectives. So often, it seems that new rules are introduced on the basis that it is believed they will achieve their aims, instead of conclusive proof that they will do so.
There should be a presumption in favour of sustainable fishing activity within the MPAs, so long as the overall conservation objectives can be met, and management measures should be introduced on a site-by-site basis – and not in blanket form.
Socio-economic factors need to be taken into account in the creation of the new rules. It is well-documented how dependent Shetland is on the seafood sector, and the impact of any additional restrictions on our community is bound to be negative. The extent of this needs to be mapped out, understood and mitigated.
Turning out for a meeting on a Friday night may not be ideal, but it is vital that the voices of those who make this industry what it is – and who rely on it for the livelihoods – are heard loud and clear as part of this process. I hope to see you there.
• Daniel Lawson is executive officer of the Shetland Fishermen’s Association.
