The Fishing Party were formed to contest the Scottish Parliamentary Election, 2003. They stood candidates in the North East Scotland region for the Scottish Parliament.
Largely a single-issue party, their formation was prompted by those involved in the fishing industry angry at cuts in the amount of fish they were being allowed to catch as a result of the European Union Single Fisheries Policy. The rationale behind their formation was that they were in the best position to represent the fishing industry as they were part of it themselves.
The Scottish National Party were fearful that this may result in the loss of vital votes for them as traditionally they have won the majority of the votes of those involved in the Scottish fishing industry. However the Fishing Party polled poorly and did not win many votes at the 2003 election.
