Gareth,
Creels and pots are used to catch more things that just lobsters.
Prawn (nephrop) creels are laid in mud, often in the same ground that prawn trawlers use and, although there is a lot of co-operation with both types of fishermen, the odd conflict does often flare up.
I was going to let this lie but I'm fascinated as to what a Purse trawl is.
If you mean purse seiner which catch pelagic fish then you will be happy to know that, to the best of my knowledge, there are no pursers left in these waters. They have all converted over to big pelagic trawls and fish hundreds of miles away from Yachties and creel men.
My comments on Dutch and Cornish fishermen referred to areas where I believe that the beam trawl is used. The Dutch have the biggest beam trawl fleet in Europe but there are quite a few beamers out of Falmouth. The beam trawl is rarely, if ever, used by Scottish fleets.I am not condeming of justifying its use.
I have always opposed the method of industrial fishing used by some of the Danes and was horrified, a few years ago, that they were using fish oil to fuel power stations.
You then go on and ramble about "Scotland's Oil" and suggest something about the Shetlanders.
I have always admired the free and independant nature of Shetlanderts but the last time I was up there the island was anministered by the Scottish Executive. Are you suggesting that some parts of the UK should break up while others should not?
It's rich that someone who would "put a 4.5 brick into the hull of a French fishing boat" and says,"any Spanish Trawler should be sunk on sighting" accuses me of having a closet mind set.
Finally; Heath's action in the 60's was truly shamefull but why have no UK governments since used their powers to withdraw from the Comon Fisheries Policy?