Falling fish stocks
I hope to be reporting from Scotland on an EU deal that may save both cod, and the Scottish fishing industry. 
No one doubts that the North Sea is running out of fish like cod. No one doubts that a blanket ban on fishing for some of the most popular species will destroy people's way of life, and income. I should have the latest on an overnight deal, on the . The ministers responsible for fish from the EU's coastal countries are expected to throw out a drastic plan from the commission which includes banning all fishing for cod west of Scotland. No one, including the commission, expects the commission proposal to survive: it's a classic over-bid, to concentrate minds.
What ministers may well opt for is "the Scottish model". This means getting rid of the widely ridiculed practice of throwing dead fish back in the sea merely to avoid breaching rules set up to avoid killing endangered fish - rules on using clever nets that avoid catching endangered fish and rigorously avoiding fishing in what amount to nursery areas for cod and other fish in short supply.
But is this really a Scottish model or more of a Norwegian one? Norway, resolutely and proudly outside the European Union, is widely praised for its fishing policy by, among others, environmental groups like .
There it is illegal to throw back dead fish: logically if you catch a fish, that is counted towards your quota and there is no avoiding it. Difficult to police, certainly, but at least not patently absurd. Some think Norway can set its own more logical policy because it is outside the EU and does not have to horse-trade with 26 or so other countries. There's no doubt at the moment the EU mechanism is rather bureaucratic. Scientific reports are produced, then the commission reacts, then the ministers decide, by which time the science is well out of date.
The Norwegian and Scottish systems mean fishermen radio in when they find a spawning ground and they and others have to avoid it. Of course this does mean a degree of trust in both the fishermen and the governments.
On the other hand, when I ask one industry insider what he thinks of the desire of some conservatives and others to "repatriate" fisheries policy he replies with two succinct words. I am not allowed to use swear words or asterisks here, but the first word is "utter" and the second spherical.
I’m Mark Mardell, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s North America editor. These are my reflections on American politics, some thoughts on being a Brit living in the USA, and who knows what else? My 
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