Scottish pelagic fishers condemn Russia-Faroe Island blue whiting arrangement
Frozen Blue Whiting
Faroe Islands
Russia
United Kingdom
Published Apr 26, 2022
Tridge summary
Scots pelagic fishers condemn Russia-Faroe blue whiting arrangement. The Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association has condemned the continuing presence of a fleet of Russian midwater freezer trawlers fishing for blue whiting in the UK’s shared zone with the Faroe Islands.
Original content
Not only does this come against the background of international condemnation of Russian aggression in Ukraine, but blue whiting is also being caught in the area that is much larger than the historic Faroe share recommended by ICES. The shared or joint area between the UK and Faroe was intended primarily for oil and gas exploration, but it also includes a fisheries agreement. In 2021 the Faroese blue whiting quota was 82,000 tonnes, but this year it has undergone a massive unilateral increase to 267,413 tonnes, while Russia has declared a 55,834 tonnes quota. It is not clear how much of the 267,413 tonnes of the Faroese quota has been given Russia. However, it is likely to be significant and is effectively being used as a means of ‘printing currency’ to purchase cod quota from Russia for the Faroese demersal fleet. Ian Gatt, chief executive of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association said: “The Association had pre-warned both the UK and Scottish governments that it was likely ...
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