Dumfries and Galloway Council are absolutely appalled to hear of today’s announcement (22nd December) from the Isle of Man’s Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, that all scallop boats fishing in their waters will be required to report to Manx ports daily from 8th January 2018.
This is likely to have a devastating effect on our scallop industry, both from Kirkcudbright and Dumfries and Galloway in general and could affect the livelihoods of 300 people employed in the sector. The Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council, Elaine Murray and Depute Leader Rob Davidson, have today written to the cabinet secretary, Fergus Ewing, demanding that the Scottish Government take action to regularise the situation and to secure the jobs that exist in Dumfries and Galloway.
The Leader said: “ Recent actions by the Isle of Man Government seem to be designed to support their local scallop industry to the extreme detriment of the industry in Dumfries and Galloway. Some of our fishermen have fished in the Isle of Man waters for over thirty years and Kirkcudbright is the UK’s top scallop landing port. It is imperative that Mr Ewing raise this with the Isle of Man government at the highest level. The Manx Government must not be allowed to tear up the Fisheries Management Agreement.”
Depute Leader Rob Davidson added: “The requirement for vessels to report to a Isle of Man port on a daily basis has significant risks for the region’s substantial seafood processing sector, since under those circumstances their valuable catch won’t make it back to Dumfries and Galloway at all. That could have serious consequences for the sector and the hundreds of people employed in seafood processing locally. We absolutely recognise the seriousness of the situation but we really need the intervention and assistance of the Sottish Government to secure a fair outcome for the industry.”
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