Lochhead told delegates that, while he had spent the last year stabilising the fishing industry and its communities, the next year would focus on putting fishing communities in control of their own future.  Women would continue to play a vital role in the reinvigorated fishing communities, he pledged. 

Addressing the North Sea Women's Network in Edinburgh, Lochhead said:

"There is huge potential in our fishing communities - from the men out at sea to the women and families back on shore.  I want our coastal and rural communities to be a place where people want to live and work.

"The Scottish fishing industry has turned a corner and is now sailing into calmer waters.  I have seen a lot of signs of optimism over the last year - new vessels being completed, harbour expansions, increased numbers of young people in training and the profitability of the industry is up.

"From now on we will be helping communities shape their own future by assisting them to set and achieve their own priorities at a grassroots level.  We will also use the work of the Scottish Fisheries Council to ensure fisheries management at a national level is more attuned to the needs of fishing communities.

"At the same time we will make sure that we do not allow the renewed confidence that has developed in the industry over the last year to be undermined by the ever increasing fuel prices.

"I am committed to ensuring that the Scottish fishing industry and the communities that it sustains, have the ability to thrive and prosper in the future."