EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 14 (UPI) -- European plans to overhaul its Common Fisheries Policy are welcome but don't go far enough, the Scottish government said.
Maria Damanaki, EU commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said action was needed to return European fish stocks to a healthy state.
"This means that we have to manage each stock wisely, harvesting what we can but keeping the stock healthy and productive for the future," she said in a statement.
Damanaki said she was considering doing away with a quota system that requires fishermen in the European Union to discard as much as 80 percent of their catch. The proposal includes targets to halt overfishing and bring fish stocks to sustainable levels by 2015.
Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said his government supports the move toward conservation but added the proposals weren't strong enough.
"I welcome the fact the EU has put forward long-awaited proposals for change, however they need to be a lot more radical if Brussels is not to repeat the many mistakes that have caused so much damage in recent decades," he said in a statement.
Edinburgh has complained that the Faroe Islands and Iceland have set unilateral catch quotas for 2011 that are in excess of previous years. Damanaki had said she would consider trade sanctions against Iceland and the Faroes in October.
Mackerel brought in nearly $174 million for Scotland last year, making it the most valuable fishery stocks for the country.
