Scottish Government ‘floundering’ on fisheries plans, marine charity says

A marine sustainability charity has accused the Scottish Government of “floundering” over its plans for managing Scotland’s fisheries post-Brexit.

Open Seas, which campaigns for sustainable fishing, said the government’s failure to meet a 2024 target for the delivery of fisheries management plans (FMPs) for 22 Scottish fisheries was undermining efforts to ensure long-term sustainability and biodiversity in Scotland’s seas.

Under the 2022 Joint Fisheries Statement agreed by all four UK national governments, the Scottish Government committed to producing 22 FMPs by 2024 for the sustainable management of key stocks in Scottish waters.

These include cod, herring, haddock and nephrops (better known as scampi or langoustine).

However on Thursday Secretary for Rural Affairs Mairi Gougeon confirmed the deadlines for completion of the plans needed to be “amended”, and that a consultation on delaying them to the end of 2026 was under way.

“A significant amount of work has already been completed, however, this work is complex and further stakeholder engagement and consultation is needed,” she said.

“The statutory deadlines therefore need to be amended to ensure the right time and space to develop and deliver robust and effective plans.”

Open Seas said this explanation appeared to be a “smokescreen” for delays caused by poor management and an inappropriate allocation of public funds.

Open Seas director Phil Taylor said: “Catching up to deadlines is one thing, but consistently failing to deliver on promises for our seas is a crisis.

“We were promised control, sustainability and healthy seas but we’re seeing ongoing failures and continued degradation of the marine environment, with marine protection policies lagging far behind.

“The Scottish Government needs to prioritise the health of our marine ecosystems, and we urge them to stop floundering and start delivering.”

In total 29 FMPs were scheduled for publication in 2024 across the four UK national governments.

Open Seas acknowledged that other national governments were also consulting on delays to their FMPs, but said the “majority” of the delays were coming from Scotland.

A Scottish Government spokesperson pointed out that the consultation would see two fisheries merged into one, thereby reducing the number of FMPs directly led by Scottish Government to 21.

They continued: “FMPs will enhance and improve transparency but our management approach is already well-established, and our fisheries well-regulated.

“Key policies to deliver improvements are already under way such as the introduction of remote electronic monitoring systems and development of the future catching policy.

“We want to make sure the plans are fit for purpose; that we have given everyone affected adequate time to play a meaningful role in developing them; and that we have also considered any potential impacts thoroughly.

“A significant amount of work on the 21 Scottish-led FMPs has already been completed. However, this work is complex and further engagement and consultation is needed.

“While some of the FMPs for England and Wales have been published, all the UK administrations are facing the same challenges in working through the process.”