Skippers have threatened to ignore restrictions

The recent EU deal gave Scottish white fish boats more haddock to catch - but set up protected areas and maintained a restriction of 15 fishing days a month.

The European Commission said it was willing to look again at the size of the restricted fishing area.

But there was no backing down on fishing day restrictions, which fishermen have said they will ignore.

The commission's director of conservation policy, John Farnell, had already said it may consider reducing the size of the huge cod protection box in the North Sea.

Crisis fears

He said: "It is too early to say whether we are going to make a change, what I'm saying now is that we are prepared to look at the evidence - and if there is evidence that the size of the box is exaggerated compared to its original purpose, then we will make the necessary changes."

Fishermen's leaders welcomed the signs of flexibility, but Mike Park, of the Scottish White Fish Producers' Association (SWFPA), said his fleet would go ahead with a plan to break EU law from the beginning of next month.

Scottish skippers have warned that they intend to fish for 24 days, not 15.

The move could precipitate a major crisis, forcing the UK authorities to prevent the fishermen from breaking the law, or face EU sanctions themselves.

I think there was a certain amount of sympathy but whether it was real or crocodile tears I don't know Hamish Morrison Scottish Fishermen's Federation

The SWFPA said its position would be backed by an upcoming economic impact study from the Sea Fish Industry Authority, which it said would show that 15 days was not enough time to fish the new quotas.

Scottish Fishermen's Federation chief executive Hamish Morrison said he was unsure what progress had been made in the talks.

However, he added: "My general impressions were that there seemed to be surprise on their side of the table that we reacted so badly against these measures and surprise that we had never been consulted by our own government."

Mr Morrison put forward the argument for fishermen to be allowed more days at sea, a reduction in the North Sea cod protection zone and a rebalancing of the quota between the protection zone and the open area.

He said: "I think there was a certain amount of sympathy but whether it was real or crocodile tears I don't know."

He said the commission consistently argue that the fishing deal might be difficult to change because it had been agreed by the EU council ministers and all 12 countries including the UK.

Fisheries Minister Ross Finnie said talks had been constructive so far.

He added: "The positive signals from the commission, in particular from the director of conservation policy John Farnell, in the last 24 hours reflect the discussions Scottish Executive officials have been having with them since last week.