Environment charities and fishers have called for effective, science-led protections for Scotland’s seas as the Scottish government launches a long-overdue public consultation today on protections for wildlife in inshore marine protected areas (MPAs).
The consultation asks for views on proposals to restrict certain types of fishing gear in each MPA, depending on the wildlife within them. These protections were originally due to be implemented in 2016 but have faced repeated delays.
The Scottish government is facing scrutiny over its record on protecting the sea, with its own environmental watchdog, Environmental Standards Scotland, reporting in June that the government is failing to meet its legal duties in protecting the seabed.
Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of leading environment charities, says implementing specially tailored fishing restrictions in marine protected areas is an essential step to helping Scotland’s marine life recover and restoring the fish and shellfish stocks on which many coastal communities rely for their livelihoods.
The charities are calling on the Scottish government to introduce restrictions based on scientific evidence of the harm caused to marine wildlife, including to protect sensitive seabed habitats from bottom trawling and dredging and to prevent the accidental capture of marine animals in fishing gear.
The proposals published today follow 15 years of Scottish government engagement with fishers, coastal community groups, local businesses and environmental organisations across Scotland. The online consultation is open to anyone to give their views.
More than 70 countries have introduced marine protected areas. Where these areas are well managed they help protect nature, reduce the impact of climate change, and support healthy fish populations and coastal communities.
Esther Brooker, senior marine policy officer at Scottish Environment LINK, said today: “The seas around Scotland’s coasts are incredibly rich in marine life, from whales, dolphins and basking sharks to seabed habitats like oyster beds, bright orange flame shell beds and pink maerl. And Scotland is globally important for seabirds.
“Our inshore waters also include spawning and nursery habitats that are vital for fish and shellfish stocks, and they’re where most of Scotland’s fishing fleet operates. They’re important for recreation and tourism too.
“But the life in our seas is in serious decline. Marine protected areas are supposed to protect and restore some of our most precious marine wildlife, but without protections in place, they’re little more than lines on a map. While bottom trawling and dredging are allowed to operate on sensitive seabed habitats, ocean ecosystems suffer, and the small-scale, low-impact fishing fleet that depends on these habitats also struggles.
“It’s time for the Scottish government to finally get effective, science-led protections in place in marine protected areas, to stop the destruction, and to start returning our amazing seas to health.”
Bally Philp, coordinator of the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation, said today: “As a fisherman whose livelihood depends on the sea, I do not see protecting the marine environment and protecting fishing livelihoods as competing aims. Protecting and restoring seabed habitats and wider biodiversity is fundamental to productive fisheries and resilient coastal communities.
“After more than a decade of delay, effective management within Scotland’s inshore MPAs is a necessary first step. But success cannot be measured by lines on maps alone: the measures must be evidence-led, manage displaced fishing effort, sit alongside better management of wider inshore fisheries and provide a fair transition for those affected. Done properly, marine protection can help secure the future of fishing rather than diminish it.”
Harry Huyton, CEO of the Scottish Seabird Centre, said today: “Today’s long-awaited announcement is an important step forward. Scotland is a global stronghold for seabirds, with our coasts and islands home to over five million breeding seabirds like puffins, guillemots and gannets. Yet most species are in long-term decline. We look forward to working with the Scottish Government and others so that this process delivers the urgent protections that seabirds and our seas so desperately need.”
People can respond to the consultation at https://consult.gov.scot/marine-scotland/fisheries-management-measures-for-inshore-mpas/
Featured image: Cath Bain, WDC