Agroup of fish merchants is to sue the Scottish Executive, claiming it failed to prevent an influx of illegally-caught fish.
The Fish Trade Equal Opportunities Group believes as much as pounds-80m of black fish - those illegally caught and landed outwith European licences and quotas - is being landed in Scotland each year.
It blames the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA) for failing to carry out its policing role.
The group is consulting counsel which could lead to court proceedings against the executive, which, it alleges, has failed in its legal obligations to the detriment of their members. A letter laying out its intention has been sent by Aberdeen lawyer Frank Lefevre to Ross Finnie, the fisheries minister.
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