SNP environment spokeswoman Deidre Brock has accused the government of sacrificing fishing during a discussion of the Fisheries Bill in the House of Commons.
Addressing the House, the SNP environment spokeswoman said: “It’s notable that when Brexit negotiations ran into trouble recently, the first concession that the Prime Minister’s hand-picked negotiator reached for was fishing.
“Straight off the bat, fishing was first to be sacrificed. A few years at first, but there will be more, step after step until the promises that (Michael Gove) made to foreign fleets will be realised – their access to our waters will be assured.”
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Brock called for devolved control over the Scottish aspects of the fishing levy which would allow Scotland a key role in deciding how that share of the money is spent.
Moving her amendment new clause 3, the MP for Edinburgh North and Leith told MPs: “NC3 brings transparency to the levy finances and the details of their distribution across the UK.
“Transparency seems to me to be a good thing. Surely no-one could argue against that? And I can see no reason why this Government continues to resist it.
“After all, the minister knows that a commitment was made at the time of the Smith Commission that the Scottish and UK governments would work together to explore whether to revise arrangements in respect of levy raising using the specific examples of red meat and seafood.
“Now the red meat levy problem is finally on its way to being sorted, but I’m afraid that commitment to properly explore arrangements for seafood has not been followed through on.
“There has been no such work, no such exploration to date of those legal and practical arrangements – that is why I would like to see on the record today a commitment to do so and a timeline to follow shortly thereafter for the long-promised internal and Defra review of sea fish that would take onboard all of these matters in the amendments that I’ve laid.”
Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said there remains a gap in the law governing UK fishing boats’ safety at sea which his amendments seek to address.
Discussing his amendment new clause 12, the MP for Orkney and Shetland told MPs that “it creates an obligation to provide a safe system of work” for fishermen.
Mr Carmichael spoke of an incident in June where a Shetland boat, the Alison Kay, was fishing in an area used by Spanish trawlers to lay their gillnets and how the skipper of a Spanish vessel, the Pesorsa Dos, put rope in the water in a deliberate attempt to damage the Alison Kay’s propeller.
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The skipper of the Alison Kay decided to back off, but Mr Carmichael said the ordeal would have resulted in serious injuries.
He added: “There is going to be no provision in licensing that is going to deal with the dangerous and reckless conduct that we have seen west of Shetland and that we will see in other territorial waters I think in the next few months as the political heat is turned up in relation to fishing and the changes that are going to be coming come January 1.”
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