Scotland’s fishing boats being sold – “Bye bye Beulah”

Photographs from ‘Shona McMillan People and Songs of the Sea’ project highlighting the sad and challenging times of Scotland’s fishing industry. Unable to make a living, with high fuel prices, an economic downturn and amidst strict and controversial government legislation – Scottish fishing boats are being sold off or decommissioned at a rate which will see them all but disappear from our harbours. Through European legislation, it looks like fishing in Scotland’s waters will end up being left to foreign boats (who can receive subsidies from the governments of their origin). It is arguable as to whether the strict legislation applied in Scottish and UK waters is all for environmental reasons (instead of more political ones). For example – it is NOT an environmentally sustainable procedure to dump dead fish back in to the sea but if a fisherman exceeds his catching quota then that is what he is legally forced to do. Once caught in a net, fish dumped or ‘discarded’ back in to the sea will not live so WHY are fishermen forced to by law to comply with legislation which actually does more harm to the sea than good? Many fishermen are disgusted at the extent of fish they are forced to dump and believe that this could be more than 50% of what they catch. Before a net is pulled in a fisherman can not tell what the catch will be… Personally, Shona would rather an advance harbour landing quota was set for each boat and when that was reached, if exceeded, the additional fish would …