CONSERVATION AND THE FISHING INDUSTRY

Motion Text

That this House notes the decision by Scottish fishing boats to tie-up in port in an attempt to stop the slaughter of juvenile haddock and whiting; recognises that the Cod Recovery Plan in closed fishing areas has forced the fleet into fishing grounds which are teaming with juvenile fish which, when caught, must be discarded dead back into the sea by law; notes the future of the fishing industry depends on the survival of these juvenile fish; deplores the fact that working fishermen, with mortgages and financial commitments to meet, now apparently care more for the conservation of fish stocks than government Ministers and departments; and demands that the Government immediately introduce a compensated lay-up scheme to allow the industry to move through this difficult period and secure a future for the white fish industry.