Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has held talks with Isle of Man authorities amid concerns new scallop fishing rules are detrimental.
Since Monday boats report scallop catches from Manx waters to an Isle of Man port, which the Scottish government claims restricts the fishing industry.
The rules were imposed over concerns about the accuracy of catch reports.
Ms Sturgeon held talks with Manx Chief Minster Howard Quayle and a “compromise will be reached over the coming days”.
Scottish boats have been fishing in Manx waters for 30 years.
Dumfries and Galloway Council has claimed vessels reporting to ports would “cost a lot in fuel, compromise the freshness of the catch” and also put about 300 jobs at risk.
According to Isle of Man government statistics the industry is worth £12m to its economy each year and the measure was “urgently required to preserve declining stocks”.
The Scottish government said: “We’re hopeful a suitable compromise will be reached over the coming days.
It was reported that both Governments agreed the fishery must be protected in the long term because of its economic importance and that overfishing must be prevented.
Read the full article at BBC News.
Tags: Fisheries, Management, Marine, Policy, Scallop, Seafood