PRESS RELEASE

Moore Welcomes Prawn Quota Rollover

Michael Moore MP

17-Dec-2009

Borders MP Michael Moore has welcomed the news that prawn fishermen in Berwickshire will not face further reductions in quota allocations in 2010 after the conclusion of annual negotiations at the EU fisheries council in Brussels.

The collapse of talks between the EU and Norway last week meant it was not possible to finalise quotas for North Sea stocks of haddock, cod, mackerel and herring. Interim arrangements comprising 65% of the 2009 quotas have been put in place to enable fishing to continue into 2010. However, agreement was reached on a rollover of quota for the £46.9m North Sea prawn (nephrops) industry.

Speaking during a recent debate on fisheries in the House of Commons, Mr Moore pressed Ministers to recognise the importance of a financially sustainable fisheries sector to the future of many small communities in Berwickshire.

Commenting, Mr Moore said:

It is clear that the Scottish fishing industry is likely to face another challenging year in 2010 after the announcement of reductions in quota allocations for a number of key species. However, given the problems that some of the proposals put forward originally could have caused for our local fishermen, the decision to maintain North Sea nephrops quotas at their current levels is better than many feared.

This announcement will come as something of a relief to the hundreds of families in Berwickshire who would have been affected by further cuts to prawn quotas. But nobody is under any illusions that another tough year lies ahead.

ENDS

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