Scotland's environment secretary Richard Lochhead has said that he hopes to "shake ourselves free" of the European common fisheries policy.

Lochhead was speaking as he travelled to Oslo for talks with Norwegian fisheries minister Helga Pedersen on how Norway operates outside the common fisheries policy (CFP).

Discussions will focus on alternatives to the CFP, which sets quotas for how much European states are allowed to catch.

"There is a lot we can learn from Norway who are not subject to the constraints of the common fisheries policy," he said.

"I look forward to discussing the issues with Ms Pedersen today to see what lessons Scotland can learn."

He added: "We are already beginning to loosen the shackles of the CFP and soon we hope to shake ourselves free."

Lochhead commended the "historic agreement" signed with Brussels in December, which gives Scotland the power to decide how fishing days at sea should be shared out.

"It is the first time since the inception of the common fisheries policy in 1983 that such significant management control has been passed back to Scotland from Brussels," he said.

"But to secure the long-term success and sustainability of the Scottish fishing industry, we must do more.

"We are establishing an expert panel to develop and promote better models of managing our fisheries for the benefit of the industry, communities and the environment."