A court hearing asking judges to rule against the Scottish government’s new economic link requirements was nearing conclusion as FN went press at the end of last week. The three-day hearing, held at the High Court in Edinburgh, was taken…
The UK minister for employment has pledged to look at how job centres can do more to encourage local people to work in the North East seafood sector, following a meeting with the industry in Aberdeen. Guy Opperman (pictured above),…
Saturday show dropped in favour of new weekday timing for the Skipper Expo Mara Media, the organiser of the Scottish Skipper Expo, has confirmed the dates for the 2024 show. In a change which it says reflects ‘overall majority’ exhibitor…
Major round of funding for infrastructure projects and fisheries research The second round of awards from the £100m UK Seafood Fund has seen a total of £45.6m awarded to a range of projects aimed at improving infrastructure and furthering fisheries…
Portsoy’s annual boat festival attracted more than 13,000 visitors to the town for a weekend of maritime culture and heritage celebrations. Held over the 1-2 July weekend, this year’s ACE Winches Scottish Traditional Boat Festival was officially opened by Her…
Legal challenge by Open Seas calls issuing of licences to scallop dredgers and bottom trawlers into question The Scottish government was still considering its reaction as FN went to press, nearly a week after a judge ruled that its licensing…
Commitment to enhanced marine protection and placing local communities ‘at the heart of decision-making’ MPs from all political parties welcomed the announcement made in Holyrood last Thursday that plans to close 10% of all Scottish waters to any form of…
Innovative new scheme for crew welfare being developed The North East Scottish fishing industry last week hosted an in-depth tour and series of meetings with representatives of the Seafood Ethics Action (SEA) Alliance, designed to foster better understanding of the…
Catching and processing organisations lead call to ‘scrap the ban’ Six Scottish industry organisations have come together to launch a petition calling on the government to drop its current policy on Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), under which all fishing,…
A new memorial to lost Highland seafarers has been unveiled in Wick. The Seafarers Memorial, designed by Scottish sculptor Alan Beattie Herriot, commemorates those lost to the sea from WK-registered vessels. The memorial, which stands 5m tall, depicts a figure…
