Mcarthur welcomes reprieve for west coast fisheries

5.05.32pm GMT Fri 19th Dec 2008

"The proposed total closure of the west coast fishery has quite rightly been shelved. It was never a practical measure and failed to give due credit to Scotland's fishing fleet for the measures they have already introduced.

"The detail of the compromise will take time to flesh out and concerns remain. For example, the targets for reducing fish mortality will be extremely challenging to achieve and failure to do so may carry a heavy price. At the same time, planned reductions in effort have the potential to cause serious problems for parts of the Scottish fleet, particularly in the Northern Isles.

"The priority of avoiding closure of the west coast has been achieved and this is very welcome. As ever with these negotiations, however, much of the devil remains in the detail."