Fishermen's leaders are claiming new proof that herring caught off the west coast of Scotland is being sustainably fished.
It follows new guidance released by the independent scientific body, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
West of Scotland herring has been managed under a long-term plan for the stock since 2008, with the fishing industry playing a key role in the plan's formulation. The plan has ensured the stock has remained above precautionary limits and is fished at a level below recommended targets for maximum sustainable yield.
ICES advise that an overall total allowable catch of 28,067 tonnes should be set for West of Scotland herring in 2014, which represents a 2% increase on this year's recommendation, which in itself was 20% higher than the 2012 catch allocation. West coast herring catching traditionally runs during the summer season and it is Scotland's second most valuable herring fishery, estimated to be worth around £8 million this year.
Ian Gatt, chief executive of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen's Association, said: "This latest advice confirms the commitment of Scottish fishermen in taking care of the herring stock by adopting a carefully formulated plan to ensure long-term sustainable catching.
"Herring is a fantastic fish to eat and is packed full of healthy omega-3 oils that are beneficial to heart health.
"Herring is a great fish for the barbecue and we would urge consumers to give this incredibly tasty fish a try this summer."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article