Policing of Scottish waters: EIR release

Information requested

1. Explain the disproportionate inspection of EU vessels to local vessels. This has been well documented over many years.

2. Explain the inspection process for each vessel at sea.

3. Explain the inspection process of EU vessels landing into refrigerated lorries ashore in our ports.

4. Explain how your inspectors quantify how much tonnage is being landed.

5. Explain how your inspectors check box weights, species and any immature or undersize fish being landed.

6. Explain the method being used to quantify the true tonnage of monks being landed when only monk tails are in the box.

7. Explain any regulations on long line fishing - i.e.
(1) number of hooks used.
(2) size of hooks used.
(3) line length.
(4) fishing depth.
There is photographic evidence of immature fish being caught on tiny hooks on these lines.

Note:- Trawlers have to comply with set minimum mesh rules to avoid catching immature fish. These vessels shouldn’t be catching immature fish.

8. Explain your weighing method to quantify tonnages landed by these vessels.

We suggest every box landed by these EU vessels has to pass through a market to enable your inspectors to weigh boxes and conduct a full inspection of landings to determine species complies with the labelling and is not some hidden species or immature fish.

9. Explain if EU vessels have electronic log books and who checks the authentication of data submitted.

10. Explain if EU vessels have to complete a garbage record book and who checks the authentication of it given the explosion of discarded gill nets in our waters recently.

11. Explain why our country has such a lax fishery protection system.

12. Explain why a French vessel was given 14/15 hours notice of the protection vessel Minna boarding.

13. Explain why a member of the public discovered Cod disguised under a layer of Coley on a French vessel recently and not by a fisheries inspectors.

14. Explain why your inspection vessels are always miles away from fleets of foreign fishing vessels.

15. Explain why you allow freezer trawlers to grade out small mackerel and discard them

16. Explain who gives the orders to the inspectors in Scotland and elsewhere as to the vessels to board or not.

17. Explain why Marine Scotland don’t have a qualified fishery advisory team of fishermen and ex fishermen to advise on fishing practices and sustainable methods.

18. Explain why Marine Scotland has not set up a fishing advisory body as suggested by ICES to help assess the abundance of fish on the grounds or not as the case may be.

19. Explain what annual quota these EU vessels have that allows them to fish constantly all year unmolested by Marine Scotland.

Response

Please see the attachment for the requested information. 

About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI202100207554 - Information released

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