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27 April 2009
LONDON-LED PARTIES’ MEPs VOTE FOR NORTH SEA FISHING
FREE-FOR-ALL
SNP Westminster Candidate Paul Wheelhouse and SNP President Ian
Hudghton MEP reacted angrily to a vote in the European Parliament
which could result in fishing fleets from around Europe gaining
access to Scotland's historic fishing rights.
The European Parliament voted in favour of a text which allows
for unused Scottish quotas to be transferred to other countries in
the EU. Until now, countries such as Spain did not have access to
quotas in key Scottish waters such as the North Sea.
A record published by the European Parliament after the vote
shows that whilst the SNP voted against the text, all of Scotland's
other MEPs voted in favour of quota transfers.
Mr Wheelhouse commented:
“I am disgusted but not surprised by the duplicity of Lib Dems,
Tories and Labour on this issue. Just a week after the local Lib Dem
MP implied his support for the fishing sector, his colleague in the
European parliament betrayed Berwickshire fishermen and their
families with her vote.
“This follows the local Lib Dem MP abstaining on a key amendment
to the Act which ratified EU control of fisheries in the Lisbon
Treaty and Lib Dems in the House of Lords voting in favour of the
Treaty. The Lib Dems time and again prove they have more faces than
Big Ben itself.
“Labour have never cared about the sector – in that they are
consistent.
“The Tories claim to stand for winning back powers from Brussels.
Their Westminster candidate complains of Spanish fishermen
“pillaging our fishing waters”. However, Tory MEPs have once again
just sold Scotland’s fishing fleet out to Spanish skippers, just as
Tories have done ever since negotiations on entry to the then EEC,
under Ted Heath.
“The Berwickshire fleet has been hit harder than most fishing
districts in Scotland in the last decade, with many vessels being
decommissioned. This latest of many betrayals by Tory, Lib Dem and
Labour MEPs is a clear example that all we will ever see are
crocodile tears from the London-led parties.
“Only the SNP will keep its word and always stand up for the
Scottish fishing industry and for those in Berwickshire who depend
on it”.
Mr Hudghton commented:
"It beggars belief that in the week the Commission publishes
their consultation paper on the future of the Common Fisheries
Policy, the European Parliament votes in favour of a North Sea
fishing free-for-all.
"At a time when we should be united in arguing for fishing
nations to retain their historic rights and take back management
powers from Brussels, MEPs have voted to destroy these rights
completely.
"If Scottish fishermen don't catch all their allocated quota in a
given year, the uncaught fish remain in the sea to replenish stocks
in future years. Logic dictates that this is a good thing for fish
stocks and a good thing for a sustainable fishing industry.
"The European Parliament however seems to believe that every last
fish in a quota should be taken from the sea, even if it means
opening Scottish waters up to fleets with no historic rights.
ENDS.
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