Sea Sea TV! Scots fishermen's fury after 'snooping' SNP force them to install spy cameras on their boats
Scotland's fishermen are being forced to install expensive cameras on their boats so officials can snoop on them at sea.
By ANDY BEAVEN, NEWS AND FEATURE WRITER
Published: 18:17 GMT, 10 January 2026 | Updated: 18:17 GMT, 10 January 2026
Scotland's fishermen are being forced to install expensive cameras on their boats so officials can snoop on them at sea.
New Scottish Government laws which come into force in March require vessels fishing for mackerel and herring to fit Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM).
Under REM, cameras cover every area on the vessel where fish are caught, handled or processed – and automatically start recording as soon as nets are cast.
Ministers claim the surveillance system will gather vital scientific data to ensure that fish stocks remain healthy.
But fishermen believe the ‘Big Brother’ cameras are being introduced because the government simply doesn’t trust them.
As well as paying tens of thousands of pounds to install the cameras, fishermen are worried that the new regulations are backed by massive fines, meaning skippers could face heavy penalties even for honest mistakes.
The new system also makes fishing vulnerable to IT glitches. If the monitoring equipment breaks while a boat is at sea, fishermen are legally obliged to stop fishing immediately. This means that entire trips could be abandoned at huge expense until the tech is fixed.
Under the rules, cameras must be fitted to all Scottish pelagic trawlers, that tow nets in mid-water and not on the sea bed, as well as to any foreign boats fishing in Scottish waters. But fishermen fear officials will mostly spy on Scottish vessels as they are an easy target for enforcement.
Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association chief executive Ian Gatt believes the move is 'about control, enforcement and a complete lack of trust in the country’s fishermen'
Veteran skipper George Anderson, who fishes out of Whalsay, Shetland, has spent £60,000 installing nine cameras throughout his vessel, the 230ft Adenia
The Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association, which represents the country’s fleet of 21 boats landing mackerel, herring and blue whiting, is strongly opposed to REM.
Chief executive Ian Gatt said: ‘They claim it’s about science but really it’s about control, enforcement and a complete lack of trust in the country’s fishermen.’
Mr Gatt said that Scottish waters are routinely fished not just by the local fleet but also by around 70 Norwegian, 50 EU and 20 Faroese boats – meaning thousands of hours of footage will potentially be generated every month.
He added: ‘It will simply be impossible to check it all.
‘Our concern is that whoever is doing the monitoring will concentrate on Scottish boats, because they’re the easiest target.’
The Association is now demanding that the policy be reviewed after six months to guarantee that Scottish boats are not being unfairly targeted.