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POPSA whole Scottish way of life is under threat Pictures of Aberdeen dock from the late 19th century are astonishing for the size and number of fish landed: table-sized halibut lie stretched out in rows interspersed with huge cod, skate and ling. But conflict boiled behind these scenes of plenty. Scots who caught their fish mainly by hook and line fought to keep the new-fangled English steam trawlers out of their waters, forcing a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate their complaints. Ultimately, they lost the argument and the more-efficient - and destructive - trawlers were embraced by the Scots. If they had prevailed and the trawlers were kept out, perhaps the state of Scottish fisheries and marine life would be different today. Scientists estimate that only a tenth of the level of table-fish in 1900 remains in the seas around Scotland today. Some large species have all but disappeared, such as angel sharks and the once "common" skate.
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