The industry in Scotland says it fears for its livelihood

Alan Wilson met Franz Fischler in the early hours of Tuesday.

Politicians in Scotland fear the current agreement will lead to further decommissioning and job losses.

Officials reported that the talks were positive and constructive and that Mr Fischler gave an undertaking to try to meet Scotland's requests.

However, there is no indication that he is considering the kind of major overhaul that the fishermen are looking for.

More haddock

The Scottish Executive is keen to increase the quotas for the white fish fleet.

The current European fishing deal to protect stocks limits Scottish fishing boats to 15 days a month in the North Sea.

However, it was agreed the fleet could catch 30% more prawns and 53% more haddock.

Mr Wilson described the talks with Mr Fischler as "very positive".

A new quota deal was agreed in December

He added: "Our objective is to secure as quickly as possible a haddock management regime which provides fishing opportunity to meet the increases in quota while conserving threatened stocks.

"We hope to make a full announcement on the details as soon as possible."

But an executive spokeswoman later admitted it would be "weeks rather than days" before the deal is finally rubber-stamped.

It is understood Scottish Executive lawyers are examining how the terms of the original deal should be applied until the new agreement is finalised.

The Scottish National Party's Westminster leader Mr Alex Salmond MP said everyone accepted that the current deal should be changed.

He said: "Scottish and UK fisheries ministers have come a long way in the last three months from crowing about the deal that they agreed, to accepting that it was a blunder, which is costing the Scottish fishing industry dear.

The status quo is not an option Jack McConnell First minister

"When Scotland's prime catch of haddock is more plentiful than at any time for over 30 years, it is a disaster and environmental obscenity that fishermen are being forced to throw haddock back dead into the sea because they have run out of quota or alternatively to not fish."

Meanwhile, First Minister Jack McConnell said Europe's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) needed to be re-drawn to allow individual countries greater say on how their waters are fished.

Speaking in Strasbourg, he said: "The status quo is not an option.

"First, it cannot make sense to have the same set of criteria for fishing in the Bay of Biscay as in the North Sea.

"Second, CFP negotiations have become a competitive game played in the middle of dark December nights in Brussels or Luxembourg.