CASE STUDY
COMPANY:
Fishing Sector in Caithness and Sutherland
BACKGROUND:
The Whitefish Quota cuts announced in December 2002 were the impetus to instigate a Fishing sector
PACE group covering the four main ports of Caithness and Sutherland – Lochinver, Kinlochbervie,
Scrabster and Wick.
Under the auspices of PACE, The Fishing Forum – as it came to be known – aimed to be as
representative of all strands of the sector as possible, and also of the onshore communities affected by
any downturn in fishing activity.
PACE ACTIVITY
(partnership and planning)
Identification of relevant public sector organisations and businesses produced a listing of 24 invitees
to attend an inaugural meeting. Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise – as PACE Co-ordinator – sent
out invitations and set a meeting for February 2003 at Dornoch, where all 24 invitees attended.
From this initial meeting, actions were proposed including an Impact and Options Study, and a
follow-up meeting agreed.
A follow-up meeting took place at Dornoch (not a fishing port but a central venue for the scattered
ports), and refined the actions into an Action Plan which identified Forum Partner actions over the
short, medium and long-term.
At subsequent meetings in the affected ports – generally every 3 months – relevant contributors were
ask to report to the Forum on progress of their Actions.
KEY ACTIONS AND INTERVENTIONS : see the Forum Action Plan below
Whitefish Meeting
Dornoch Tuesday 7 October 2003
- updated 9 March 2004
Action
Lead Organisation/Person
Short/Medium/Long term Action
Project to initiate current metering to
create inshore charts; allied project to
monitor sea-water temperature
Info on funding in next quarter
HC - Elizabeth Marshall – to pursue
DTI / Other relevant funding to progress
projects
Medium/Long
Monitor Job Seeker registrations of
relevant Wards around the Ports to
identify unemployment trends, with
monthly reports – covering calendar
year 2003, and forward into 2004, with
Job Centre Plus, Wick and Thurso
Short/Medium
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CASE – Anne Sutherland
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updates to Fishing Forum at each
meeting; augment with crofting
data/schools data/housing register data
at variable intervals – next meeting
HC – Gordon Todd
KLB Development Partnership to
develop proposals for establishment of
use of pleasure craft/other projects
Awaiting decision of Project Officer
funding – April 04
KLB Development Partnership - David
Anderson
Medium
Invite
Whitehaven
Development
Company to next Forum to share their
experience
Identify funding for fact-finding visitCommunities Scotland/CED –
CASE - Anne Sutherland
Wick Harbour Trust - Malcolm Bremner
Short - Agreed invitation
beneficial at a later stage
Develop proposal for joint marketing of
all the Ports, with infrastructure
development needs identified
HC - Tony Usher / Elizabeth Marshall
George Hamilton - Identify specialist
advice to progress Action -done
Medium
Invite group of MSPs/MPs/MEPs to the
area, for fact-finding and to experience
the quality of the seafood product via
Seafood Exhibition and Dinner - all
ports to be included in the visit
HC - Elizabeth Marshall / Gordon Todd
David Flear / Francis Keith
Short / Medium
Publicise all positive aspects of the
sector
especially
the
Local
Management System being developed
and having potential for the area
Press Release for May ref Local
Management from ScotEx and ongoing
HC - George Hamilton
CASE – Anne Sutherland
Short/Medium
Continue the momentum of the
Whitefish forum for Caithness and
Sutherland
CASE - Anne Sutherland
Short/Medium
Assynt Development Partnership to
develop proposals for establishment of
use of pleasure craft/other projects
Assynt Development
Alistair Macaskill
Refine/update economic impact of
decommissioning vessels on Caithness
and Sutherland ports
Update at next meeting
HC – Tony Usher/ Derek Loudoun
Short
Identify relevant courses/qualifications
needed for pleasure boat trips – done
Durrant Macleod
Short
circulate information to evaluate sector
interest
CASE - Anne Sutherland
Investigate means of adding value to
catches being landed
Continental Market Wick/July; George
H to liaise directly with to Elizabeth M
HC – Elizabeth Marshall
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Anna McConnell
Anne Sutherland to mail (no e-mail) info
from George Hamilton ref Ullapool Fish
Conference (done)
Partnership
-
Medium/Long
Medium/Long
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Date of next meeting
TUESDAY 22 June 2004
Kinlochbervie – Harbour Office
1200 soup/sandwiches @ Fisherman’s
Mission; 1230 meeting @ Harbour
Office
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Monitoring of the Action Plan took place at every meeting, with timely reminders by e-mail about a
month before the Forum meeting.
It became clear that close monitoring of the Job seekers register was important, as there were
assumptions made - and regularly repeated - that numbers becoming unemployed because of the
fishing quota cuts were enormous. However, up-to-date figures were given to the Forum at each
meeting – these showed a fairly static figure among relevant job categories. The figures were received
with some scepticism, and perceptions remained hard to change, despite the facts being presented.
Jobcentre data was supplemented with crofting/schools/housing data at less frequent intervals.
The most recent meeting of the Forum in June 2004, agreed that further meetings would be
discontinued but may be reinstated dependent on further impacts of European Fishing decisions.
OUTCOMES
Two Economic Development community groups commenced, to co-ordinate information and action
planning within their own communities.
Dissemination of available information from all the public agencies reinforced.
Enhanced communication channels for the fishing communities and harbours, with all the public
sector organisations.
LESSONS LEARNED
Real difficulty in engaging fishermen; fortunate in having a retired boat owner who was an active and
informative participant.
Need to provide facts and allay misconceptions
Need to widen the immediate fishing sector concerns to include impact on on-shore communities, fish
processing, haulage etc.
KEY CONTACTS
Anne Sutherland, Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise – s.anne@hient.co.uk
Iain Sutherland, Sector specialist, Highlands and Islands Enterprise – i.sutherland@hient.co.uk
George Hamilton, Sector specialist, Highland Council – George.Hamilton@highland.gov.uk
Susan Topping, Jobcentre Plus – Susan.M.Topping@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk
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