Skippers have expressed opposition to fishing curbs

Whitehills, Wick and Arbroath may now be added to the current list of 19 designated ports.

The move follows pressure from skippers and harbour authorities.

They have claimed that not being allowed to land at the three harbours is threatening safety at sea and their economic viability.

A deal agreed in Brussels in December entitled skippers to catch more haddock but the trade-off was tighter enforcement.

I'll either have to go harder and catch more fish, which will not be an easy thing to do, we're working quite hard as it is, or go out of business Bertie Milne Skipper

Skippers of smaller boats either take a permit to catch more fish, but land them at designated ports, or continue to land at the smaller harbours with a reduced quota.

They have claimed that being forced to land further afield is threatening safety and economic viability.

The Scottish Executive has revealed it will consider designating Wick, Arbroath and Whitehills - taking into account their historic dependency on haddock landings.

Skipper Bertie Milne is the last fisherman to land regularly at his home port of Whitehills on the Banffshire coast.

Safety and cost

Mr Milne said being forced to land haddock catches elsewhere had safety implications because of longer hours and was a threat to his livelihood.

He said: "If we work out of Fraserburgh or Buckie, you're speaking about my overheads going up approximately 15% and 15% needs to be covered with something.

"I'll either have to go harder and catch more fish, which will not be an easy thing to do, we're working quite hard as it is, or go out of business."

Banff and Buchan MP Alex Salmond said Mr Milne's boat, the Budding Rose, was an example of the kind of fishing operation that should be protected.

Mr Salmond said: "I read out Bertie's case to Ben Bradshaw last Monday, the fisheries minister in London, and he, I think it's fair to say, was shocked at the implications of Bertie's case and the death knell for small ports.