Scottish Fishermen’s Federation calls for sensible approach to managing discards problem

With the EC expected to unveil proposals tomorrow on banning the practice of discards, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation is warning that a ‘step-by-step’ approach is needed to resolve the problem – otherwise there is a real danger that many whitefish vessels could be pushed to the brink of economic viability.

Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, says the fishing industry abhors the practice of discarding, which is the result of flawed regulations that actually requires for fish to be discarded in order to stay within the law.

“The current rules are not fit for purpose and do not legislate for situations where fishermen encounter an abundance of fish or highly varying proportions of different species of fish in our mixed fisheries,â€