Fishermen say they may stay at sea longer than allowed

Boats will be allowed to catch more haddock than last year but with no more time to do it.

The Scottish White Fish Producers' Association says skippers may work 24 instead of the allowed 15 days a month.

But they have said they will "probably" fish within the rules for the next few months while seeking a better deal.

Fishermen are also angry British boats are banned from some of the best haddock fishing grounds to protect cod.

The new rules were agreed by EU fisheries ministers in December and recognise that North Sea haddock stocks are at their healthiest for 30 years.

'�20m deal'

But skippers object to having no more time to take advantage of the increased quota.

UK fisheries ministers are reluctant to press for expanding the time limit.

But they are in discussions with the EU to open up the haddock fishing grounds currently out of bounds.

We will try and correlate a sensible argument - if the commission will not take that argument on board the industry will have no other option but to break the law Mike Park Scottish White Fish Producers' Association

Scottish fishermen represent 70% of the UK industry, with other North Sea fleets operating from ports like Hull and Grimsby.

A proviso under discussion is that fishermen may visit these waters but be banned from any cod fishing.

Mike Park, chairman of the Scottish White Fish Producers' Association, said breaking the law was a real prospect, although fishermen would still press their case over the next few months.

"We will try and correlate a sensible argument - if the commission will not take that argument on board the industry will have no other option but to break the law," he told BBC Scotland's The Politics Show.

"By the use of the management period in the first two or three months industry can most probably avoid breaking that law.

We do not anticipate any major problems with the haddock permit system which comes into operation today Scottish Executive spokeswoman

"We have to use that time productively, pragmatically, to prove to the commission that we can fish here without killing the cod."

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said: "Arrangements are in place, and we do not anticipate any major problems with the haddock permit system which comes into operation today."

She stressed: "It is an offence to catch more than the allocated quota."

Scotland's deputy fisheries minister Allan Wilson said earlier this week he was "pulling out all the stops" to secure a better deal.

When the deal was brokered last year, ministers declared it was worth �20m to Scotland.

It increased North Sea haddock quotas by 53% and allowed fishermen to catch 30% more prawns.

Cod and hake catches were frozen at last year's level.