|
Hudghton (Verts/ALE), I
voted against this report today, as I did at the committee stage. The
original proposal of the Commission was for a cod and hake recovery plan
based on scientific advice which was broadly similar in its assessment of
the situation in both of these fisheries.
Intensive lobbying by those whose national interest is
in the hake fishery influenced the Commission and Council's decision to
separate the two, proceeding first with cod recovery measures, which have
emerged as discriminatory against the Scots white fish sector.
At committee stage this Souchet report was almost
completely rewritten by amendments favouring the national interests which
target the hake fishery. This move further fuels the opinion of many Scots
that certain national fishing fleets are being favoured, while Scotland
loses out from EU management.
The major influencing factor in this process is the
fact that some Member States have governments which are prepared to make
survival of their fishing communities a priority, while Scotland has the
misfortune to be represented by the UK government which regularly betray
us in EU Fisheries Council negotiations. |
