The Catch Quota Report published in August 2011, builds on the interim report published by Marine Scotland in September 2010 and is intended to focus on the scientific, economic and compliance aspects of Catch Quota Management using Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM). It will be used to inform the Scottish negotiating position for Council and with the Norwegian representatives.
In 2010, Defra and Marine Scotland introduced a voluntary pilot Cod Catch Quota Scheme (CCQS), where participating vessels must retain on board and land all cod that is caught, regardless of size and marketability. The Defra scheme is to count all fish against quota, regardless of size and marketability. A final combined UK report, once the pilot has concluded, should look to compare what, if any, differences in approaches can be identified. The Defra scheme is on a far smaller scale but covers different types of vessels and activities, and the comparative data from both trials will be invaluable. Those participating in the Catch Quota Scheme are now operating a fully documented fishery for cod:
On 09 December 2010, Richard Lochhead (Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment) wrote to the Scottish fleet inviting vessels to apply for the 2011 Catch Quota Management Scheme.
Copies of his letter, the terms and conditions of the 2011 scheme and application forms can be found below.
Applications were subsequently invited for vessels to participate in North Sea Cod schemes in 2012 and 2013, with slightly revised Terms & Conditions. Also in 2013, vessels were invited to trial CCTV in a white fish zero discard fishery and separate pelagic scheme. Reports detailing the results of these individual schemes will be made available in early 2014.