Scots Govt seeks devolved fisheries commitment. Commenting on the reintroduction yesterday of the UK Government’s Fisheries Bill, Scottish Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing said it disappointing that it didn’t extend enough powers to Scotland.
“The Scottish Government is determined to use all its powers to protect and advance Scotland’s fishing interests,” he said.
“I am pleased that DEFRA has chosen to respond constructively to our willingness to work with them, by agreeing to improve their original draft and in recognition that fisheries is a devolved power, by extending powers to Scotland. We will now consider carefully the bill to analyse and assess against whether it delivers in Scotland’s interests and will continue to seek to improve it where we can during the parliamentary process.
“Let me be clear, however, this bill does not grant the Scottish Parliament a raft of new fisheries powers. It is disappointing that it still allows the UK Government to set quotas for stocks in Scottish waters, despite assurances that this is not their intention. The UK Government has failed to adopt the amendments we provided, to ensure that Scottish fisheries are still managed by Scottish Ministers. As with much of Brexit, it appears that once again the UK Government is ignoring the settled devolved process and we will resist any measure which shifts responsibility for any devolved aspect of fisheries away from Scotland.
“We are also seriously concerned that Scotland still does not have its own place at international fisheries negotiations as a matter of right, something that we have long called for. And we still have no clarity nor certainty over future funding to support future investment in our fishing industry, despite pressing for this over the last three years.”