The following question was raised in the Scottish Parliament by John Scott (Ayr) (Con) :
To ask the Scottish Executive how many permits it has issued in each of the last five years to allow the finning of sharks in Scottish waters.
Answered by Richard Lochhead: Permits have been issued, as follows, to Scottish registered fishing vessels which are part of the Anglo-Spanish fleet:

Speaking during today’s debate in the Scottish Parliament on sea fisheries, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment John Scott MSP said:
“I would like to say a word about another under threat species – the Spurdog. The Cabinet Secretary will know that the European Commission are proposing a Total Allowable Catch of zero for this species. While well intentioned, the effect of such a move would be to guarantee the discarding of any Spurdog caught as by-catch – not something I would welcome.
“The fact remains however …

Commercial fishermen within the NWWRAC (North Western Waters Regional Advisory Committee) wrote to the EU to try and have the 5% spurdog bycatch rules changed allowing them to catch more of the species.
Fortunately the Commission has declined this request with a distinct change of language which should be welcomed as it now appears they are taking on board others views by stating “I understand that there is a strong divergence of opinion within the RAC between the catching sector and the other sectors.”
This understanding looks good for further shark …