MSPs have been advised not to push for an import ban on mackerel from Iceland and the Faroe Islands as a way of resolving conflict over quotas.
Using punitive measures could hit fish processors in the UK, where much of the produce is sent, Holyrood's European and External Relations Committee was told.
Dr Ian Duncan, European officer for the Scottish Parliament, said: "The difficulty, and the reason where there is no ban on imports, is because the support is not as widespread as you would imagine.
"The UK has been less than excited by the prospect because the principle mackerel processing is in the UK.
"A lot of jobs depend on the mackerel for processing."
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