Is anyone else concerned with the 2012 statistics released by the Scottish Government on April 19? One gets the feeling the same report paints a picture for all of the European Union’s fishing industry.

This data attempts to put a brave face on some of the results by showing that "values have increased" but when one picks through the actual figures, the overall picture is somewhat frightening.

The following is a brief summary of some figures I pulled out of the report:

* Mackerel -- volume landed up by 4 percent / price down by 13 percent;

* Hake -- volume landed up by 25 percent / price down by 17 percent;

* Whiting -- volume landed up by 15 percent / price down by 3 percent;

* Haddock -- volume landed up by 25 percent / price down by 17 percent;

* Shellfish -- volume landed down by 5 percent / price down by 5 percent.

It is also rather disturbing that Fisheries...