MOST fishermen face another tough year after the December Fisheries Council agreed on TAC cuts in many species and various measures to reduce fishing mortality on cod and other species, reports Tim Oliver.

FRASERBURGH skipper Adam Tait took delivery of his new twin-rig trawler Rebecca FR 143 from Macduff Shipyards in late December after the vessel completed fishing trials in the Moray Firth.

PETERHEAD harbour was a blaze of festive lights over the Christmas period after a well-attended official switch-on ceremony on Friday 19 December.

In the two days leading up to the event, crews of some 20 boats ranging from 19m twin-rig trawlers to 69m pelagic vessels climbed to the mastheads to rig thousands of Christmas lights after exhausting the stocks of local suppliers.

Pictured are Amity II, Ocean Venture II and Fruitful Bough festooned in Christmas lights.

– after ‘very tough negotiations’ say ministers

THERE was a relatively lighter agenda at this year’s Fisheries Council compared with the past few years, with the revised cod recovery plan and effort control issues being effectively agreed at the November Fisheries Coucil .

THE FEDERATION of Irish Fishermen (FIF) said the Brussels talks had been “very difficult” but it was relieved that “the more outlandish and potentially devastating proposals were overturned”.

NORTH Devon fishermen are calling for an allocation of the new skates and rays TAC for areas 6 and 7 that is in proportion to their catches, reports Phil Lockley.

On the day when politicians and EU officials were locked in the end of year TAC negotiations in Brussels and proposing further restrictions and technical measures on the Scottish whitefish fleet, the extensive quayside berths still available at Peterhead after the last whitefish boats landed shortly before Christmas provided indisputable evidence of the reduction of the Scottish whitefish fleet in the past seven years.