The head of the Shetland Fishermen's Association (SFA) of Scotland has criticised environmental non-profit Oceana for its recent report attacking the commercial fishing industry.
"Oceana is an anti-fishing group [that] regularly publishes sensationalised reports denigrating the fishing industry and willfully misrepresenting UK fish stocks," said Daniel Lawson, SFA's Executive Officer.
Lawson explained that commercial fishing is, "a perfectly legitimate activity that has been successfully carried out sustainably for centuries," ensuring both employment and a healthy food source to people.
"Island communities such as ours depend on the fishing industry for jobs and income, impossible to replace given the lack of available alternatives. Fishing is a complex activity that cannot be reduced to simplistic sloganeering dreamed up by corporate lobbyists, who rely on driving sustainability scare stories for their funding."
Lawson said it is difficult for fishermen, "to be lectured from afar by anonymously funded foundations," that have not contributed to ensuring the sustainability of fish stocks.
"ICES advice – such as that recently released for cod and mackerel – often relies too heavily on assumption and is undermined by scientific uncertainty," said Lawson.
"Single source advice, which ICES itself often admits is less that convincing, should not be relied on completely to give an accurate account of fish populations – which are also majorly impacted by factors such as global warming, natural predation, and marine developments such as offshore wind farms."