Recent years have seen a considerable and unsustainable increase in effort on this fishery by non-EU countries, with the EC maintaining conservation measures to limit access.It would be wrong to reward such unsustainable "olympic" fishing by establishing a related track record.In view of this situation, at the December Fisheries Council, Ministers reserved their position on blue whiting, stating in the Council minutes "the Council and Commission will revert to this issue, as appropriate, if negotiations in NEAFC in early 2000 do not result in efficient regulatory measures for the fishing of blue whiting in the Regulatory Area".Scottish Executive officials have been fully involved in formulating the current EU negotiating position, and the EU team is well aware of the importance to the Scottish pelagic fleet of continued access to this fishery.