Scotland told 'our scallop grounds need protection'

Minister with responsibility for fisheries John Shimmin says he understands concern in Scotland over moves by the Isle of Man to protect its scallop grounds, but the Manx government had to act.

Scottish fishermen are said to be furious after a new bye-law was passed excluding much of the country's fleet from waters around the Isle of Man. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation says 'at a stroke' it has lost the greater part of its access to 'an economically essential and traditional fishing ground'.

The Scottish Secretary in charge of the fishing industry, Richard Lochhead, says the new measures to protect Manx fishing grounds are unnecessary.

However, Mr Shimmin says work on the bye-law, to help the sustainability of the Island's fishing industry, has been going on since April, and some form of protection was vital: