Scotland's cod quota slashed as SNP claims fishing used as Brexit-deal 'bait'

It was agreed that cod quotas will be cut by 50 per cent in the North Sea, while limited quotas were agreed for cod in the Celtic Sea, Irish Sea and West of Scotland - just enough to allow the landing of accidental catch.

And today Scotland's Fisheries Secretary, Fergus Ewing - who had been in Brussels representing Scotland's fishing communities - blamed the reduction on Brexit, while his SNP colleague Deidre Brock MP claimed the Tories were "lining up to sellout Scotland's vital fisheries sector".

Mr Ewing said: “With Brexit about to happen it has been clear the EU is already prioritising other members over the state about to walk away," he said. "That is perhaps unsurprising, but coupled with the challenging scientific advice, it has made this a difficult two days."

He added: "We still managed to secure a final agreement for West of Scotland cod better than the initial proposal, and an increase in North Sea ling. However, I am disappointed that other proposals – particularly those that would have allowed for more sustainable management of fisheries, and better compliance with the landing obligation - were not adopted.

“We worked for a deal that reflects the key principles of the Common Fisheries Policy – the need to fish sustainably while supporting the interests of coastal communities and fishers. Unfortunately, combined with other negotiations the deal will struggle to deliver this for the Scottish industry.

"Worse, we now potentially find ourselves as a bystander next year, and we have had early indication of how difficult future negotiations might be. Whatever the future holds, I and the Scottish Government will continue to champion the interests of Scotland’s fishing industry.”

Denmark’s fisheries minister said access to UK waters “should be a part of it (UK-EU trade deal)… and also the signals we get from the Commission is that they see it like that as well" while the Spanish minister stated that “progress can only be made on the trade deal if in parallel we have advanced on the fisheries agreement, which is very important. For Spain, this is a fundamental question.”

Deidre Brock, the SNP’s DEFRA spokesperson, said: “In the first week of the new Parliament, the Tories are already lining up a sell-out of Scotland’s vital fisheries sector for their own narrow party interests.

"Rather than following through on their pledge of a 'sea of opportunity', the Tories are instead serving the fishing industry up as bait. The remarks from both Denmark and Spain make clear that access to Scottish waters and fishing quotas must be on the table for negotiation before any Brexit trade deal can be agreed.