The courses train fishermen for a life in the North Sea

Banff and Buchan College in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, has announced the end of the training from the end of the current academic year.

The training is for mates and skippers certification and trainee fishermen.

The decision was blamed on a lack of recruits, funding and also high equipment costs.

The board blamed a funding formula which they sais does not recognise the strategic importance of industries such as fishing to the rural economy.

Clearly this was a very sad day for everyone associated with the college Robert Sinclair Banff and Buchan College

The college said there had been low numbers of students for the fisheries-related courses since decommissioning six years ago, which saw many Scottish fishing boats scrapped.

This was further compounded by the high costs associated with replacing expensive radar and navigation simulation equipment.

College principal Robert Sinclair said: "Clearly this was a very sad day for everyone associated with the college.

Support plea

"We currently receive grant aid under a funding formula from the Scottish Funding Council which unfortunately does not recognise the strategic importance of industries such as fishing to the rural economy.

"The formula is mainly based on the number of students in a group and we require, as a rule of thumb, 12 students for a course to be viable.

"None of the fishing related courses have consistently achieved this number since the decommissioning round in the year 2000.

"To date, the college has supported the courses from general revenue but changes to our funding mechanism mean this subsidy is no longer possible."

He said the college did receive an element of remoteness funding, but this was not enough.

It is an outrage - a blow to the very fabric of the fishing industry itself Alex Salmond Banff and Buchan MP

Any organisation with an interest in fisheries training and wanting to discuss how they could financially support this training in future has been encouraged to get in touch with the college.

Also, anyone thinking about sitting a mates or skippers ticket has been urged to contact the college to ensure a place on the final courses which will start in mid-April.

SNP leader and local Banff and Buchan MP Alex Salmond said: "It is a critical part of the fishing infrastructure.

"It is an outrage that neither the funding council nor Scottish Enterprise Grampian have recognised that support for this training is a key factor in supporting the industry.

"It is a sorry day indeed when the college is forced into this decision and I will be visiting the college on Monday to see if something can be done to salvage something from the wreckage.

"What this decision amounts to is not just the loss of a college course but a blow to the very fabric of the fishing industry itself."

A spokesperson for the Scottish Funding Council said: "It is for individual colleges to decide which courses they run, and they have to balance up local needs with the requirement to be financially viable as a whole."