With the Scottish fishing industry being crippled by the rising cost of fuel, skippers claimed it was no longer financially viable for them to go to sea.
Whereas just 10 per cent of their income used to go on fuel costs, this had soared to 50 per cent.
The industry called for short-term financial aid from both Westminster and Holyrood.
A House of Lords report, from a committee chaired by Lord Sewell, said that subsidising fuel prices would be completely wrong when there was over-capacity within Europe.
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation hit back, saying it has already reduced its fleet, and claiming that many skippers would face bankruptcy if no financial aid was offered.
The Fisheries Secretary at Holyrood, Richard Lochhead, criticised the Lords committee’s lack of support, and said that the Scottish government would continue to act within its limited powers and finances to support the fleets.
www.sff.co.uk/
