Hans J Marter

16 February, 2005

A SHETLAND based consultancy firm has been awarded a major three year contract with the European Commission’s Fisheries Department (DGFISH).

AB Associates (ABA), of Scalloway, is to “provide technical support and advice on a range of fisheries related issues within a special fisheries programme”.

The work will focus mainly on the development of fisheries structural funds post 2006, the preparation of national fisheries plans, and on the proposal for sustainable fisheries coastal zone development strategies.

It will also cover other issues such as fisheries in the new member states, problems of recruitment of young fishermen, processing, aquaculture, and fisheries policy and measures in the Mediterranean.

It is also likely to include DGFISH’s new responsibility for wider maritime policy and the creation of a Green Paper on European wide maritime policy under the banner of ‘Europe of the Sea’.

AB Associate’s managing director Andrew Blackadder said he was delighted to have secured the contract as it would give the firm work over a three year period and also provide greater security for staff.

“It has been won partly on the basis of our track record of past work for DGFISH over a six year period and partly on our knowledge and experience of the fisheries sector as a whole.

“I am looking forward to working on fisheries issues in different parts of Europe over the next three years,” he said.