The new proposals, published for consultation in May, intend to put fishermen at the heart of fish quota management, provide greater certainty to fishermen in Scotland through access quota, and help strengthen coastal communities for generations to come.

The public meeting will be chaired by officials from the Scottish Government's marine directorate and will be held at the Fishermen's Mission, Harbour Road, Mallaig, PH41 4QB.

Speaking ahead of the public meeting, Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

"Fishing provides the lifeblood of many of Scotland's communities and sustains tens of thousands of jobs. It is vital that we consider how we can best safeguard our fishing communities' birthright for future generations. My hope is that our review will help achieve that.

"The arrangements governing fishing rights are crucial as they provide access to our rich fishing grounds. There therefore must be benefits for the current generation of fishermen but we need to ensure that these benefits are available to future generations as well.

"I would call on everyone in Mallaig to come along to have their say on this vitally important issue - this is an opportunity to help shape Scotland's fishing rights for future generations.

"That is why the proposals I have outlined set out an ambitious new path for Scotland which will allow arrangements to be tailored to Scottish needs.

"They will put in place new arrangements that will help safeguard Scotland's traditional fishing rights for future generations while encouraging the flexibility and stability necessary for sustainable economic growth.

"Every time I visit a fishing community in Scotland I am asked to take steps to protect fishing rights for future generations. Our proposals aim to do just that.

"These proposals provide arrangements tailored to Scottish circumstances, and have been carefully designed to safeguard Scotland's fishing rights while allowing close working with the rest of the UK to continue. This is a consultation and we are open to views on how we can help achieve the best outcome for our fishing communities."

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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