Fish - additional quota allocation 2021: consultation

4. Guiding Principles 

Fish are a public resource and the economic and social benefits that flow from fishing should be shared widely across the nation.  Stakeholders strongly support this principle, and it should therefore influence the way we allocate any Additional Quota opportunities in future years.  The following guiding principles have helped inform our proposal to allocate additional fishing opportunities for 2021. In allocating Additional Quota we aim to:  

• Be consistent with Marine Scotland’s developing future fisheries policy and developing Blue Economy Action Plan.
• Support the active fishing fleet and help reduce their business costs.
• Help businesses with diversification of fishing operations through access to new fishing opportunities.

In line with the UK Fisheries Act 2020, Additional Quota will be distributed based on criteria that:

• Are transparent and objective; and 
• Include criteria relating to environmental, social and economic factors.