RURAL AFFAIRS SECRETARY WELCOMES SEA FISHERIES STATISTICS

Rural Affairs Secretary welcomes sea fisheries statistics.  Provisional Scottish Sea Fisheries statistics for 2024 published.

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon, has welcomed sea fisheries statistics for 2024.

Mairi Gougeon said:

“These healthy figures show that the Scottish fishing industry continues to perform well, and reflect the huge importance of the sector to Scotland’s economy and to our coastal and island communities.

“The Scottish Government continues to champion the sector and to work to maximise opportunities for our fleet, for example through recent bilateral agreements with Norway and Faroe that have delivered significant additional fishing opportunities to our vessels.

“However, this comes against the backdrop of the UK Government’s deeply disrespectful failure to consult us or the industry ahead of this week’s trade renegotiation.

“It beggars belief that this agreement has been reached by selling out Scotland’s fishing communities. The UK Government promised fishing communities in Scotland that their interests would be protected in this process, but after years of broken promises, fishing communities in Scotland could potentially now find themselves in the worst of all worlds.

“We urge the UK Government to clarify urgently how the new Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund will be administered and apportioned to avoid duplication and confusion.

“Scotland should have a share of the Fund which reflects the economic and social importance of fishing to our country. The Fund should be devolved and administered by the Scottish Government – in close consultation with our key stakeholders – to ensure investments are targeted to ensure a prosperous future for our catching and processing sectors.”

Background

Provisional Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2024