The UK government has assured fishermen that it will remove the most unpopular parts of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) after Brexit.
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said “no decision has yet been made” on the extent to which the CFP would be incorporated into British law.
But she pledged to “disapply the key elements” which are “most unpopular”.
The CFP has been extremely unpopular among Scottish fishermen, who are said to have overwhelmingly backed Brexit.
Anger has generally been focused on quotas for fishing catches and on other European fleets being given equal access to fishing grounds in Scottish waters.
In a letter to the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), Ms Leadsom wrote: “It is essential that we take the opportunity to develop a fisheries regime that is better-suited to our seas and industries.”
She added that as the UK leaves the EU “we will look to disapply the key elements of the CFP that are most unpopular and unworkable for the UK as a coastal state”.
This would include the EU quota-setting regime and the right of European boats to fish in UK waters.
And Ms Leadsom said the government was looking to “ensure we have full control over UK waters when we leave the EU”.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday evening, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said the letter showed that the UK government was “planning to sell out Scottish fishing – again”.
2016 BBC