Environment charities have reacted with fury after the Scottish government announced yesterday that fisheries restrictions in marine protected areas, originally due to be implemented in 2016, are to be delayed for the fourth time.
Yesterday Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, said a promised consultation on fisheries management measures for inshore marine protected areas – those within 12 nautical miles from the shore – would not happen before the May 2026 Holyrood election.
The charities, members of Scottish Environment LINK, say repeated delays are allowing the destruction of marine life to continue, including vital seabed habitats like flame shell beds and maerl which are being torn up by bottom trawling and dredging.
Most of Scotland’s marine protected areas were designated in 2014. The Scottish government is required by law to design and implement fishing restrictions for each area, to protect the marine wildlife it contains. The original 2016 deadline for these measures was missed, as were subsequent deadlines of 2020 and 2024. Earlier this year the Scottish government said it would launch the inshore consultation in November.
Seabed habitats in Scotland’s coastal marine protected areas are vital spawning and nursery grounds for many of the fish and shellfish on which coastal communities depend for their livelihoods. They absorb carbon which can help combat climate change. Inshore marine protected areas are also intended to protect wildlife including seabirds, whales and basking sharks.
Fisheries restrictions for offshore marine protected areas between 12 and 200 nautical miles from the shore finally came into force in October.
Jessica Jones, living seas manager at the Scottish Wildlife Trust and acting convenor of Scottish Environment LINK’s marine group, said today:
“Without protection measures in place, marine protected areas are little more than lines on a map. Giving these areas the protections they need is a vital first step to bringing our amazing seas back to life. By repeatedly delaying these measures the Scottish government is failing not only marine wildlife, but coastal communities who have been waiting to have their voices heard and are fatigued by the repeated build up and subsequent disappointment when significant opportunities to protect our seas are yet again withheld.”
Calum Duncan, Head of of Policy and Advocacy at the Marine Conservation Society said:
“Scotland’s seas can’t afford further delay on this critical action to prevent damaging fishing activities happening in so-called marine protected areas. Delays will only make recovery harder and risk further damage to our seas.
“Following global acknowledgement at COP30 that a healthy ocean is key to fighting the climate emergency, the Scottish government must act decisively to deliver these long-awaited protections and live up to crucial legal and international commitments before it is too late.”