EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- It isn't too late for the British government to work with Edinburgh in the best interest of the fishing industry, the Scottish government said.
The Scottish government complains that the quota set by the autonomous Danish Faroe Islands for mackerel fishing is more than three times the previous total allowable catch. Iceland is also overstepping its boundaries, the government said.
First Minister Alex Salmond complained in a letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron that Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead isn't allowed to speak before a Monday meeting at the European Union's AgriFish council meeting in Brussels.
"Scotland needs to keep pressing for strong action from the EU over the unilateral quotas set by Iceland and the Faroe Islands," the letter reads. "Our fishing communities need strong action -- and it's also what needs to be done to protect the health of our mackerel stocks."
Salmond questioned why a member of his government is prevented from speaking before the EU council even though 90 percent of the mackerel quotas in the United Kingdom are caught by Scotland.
He said it was time for London to work with Edinburgh on the issue in order to preserve the fishing sector.
"It is not too late for David Cameron to reconsider and allow both our administrations to work together in the best interest of the fishing industry," the letter reads.
