One of the brilliant things about living in Scotland is that you’re never all that far from the sea. Those of us who feel the sea’s call – and who in Scotland doesn’t – can get our fix of it without travelling a great distance.
The seas around our jagged coastline are a place of enjoyment and inspiration. For me there’s a sense of wonder in the less seen things – from the anemones and crabs hidden in rockpools to the ocean food webs on which we all depend.
The sea is a source of livelihoods, especially for coastal communities that rely on fishing. It’s home to a mind-boggling variety of wildlife, from huge whales and basking sharks to seabed habitats like oyster beds, bright orange flame shell beds and pink maerl. Our seabird populations are of global significance, with five million breeding here every year.
The sea is also our strongest line of defense against climate change, as ocean habitats can absorb vast amounts of carbon and can help protect our coasts from the worst of the swell during storms.
In short, the sea really matters. So, you’d think looking after this invaluable resource would be a high priority – right? That’s what I thought when I started working in the Scottish marine policy field 12 years ago. Just four years earlier in 2010, the Scottish parliament had passed the Marine (Scotland) Act, which places significant duties on Scottish government ministers to protect and recover our seas. This ambitious legislation gave me and my colleagues hope that we would soon see the tide start to turn and Scotland’s seas start to return to health.
A decade and a half later, we’re still waiting.
Among the measures set out in the Act was that Scotland should create a network of marine protected areas – defined areas of the sea where some activities are regulated to protect wildlife. Crucially, certain types of fishing were to be restricted in these areas depending on the species and habitats in each one.
Well, we do now have a network of marine protected areas. But most are protected only in name, without the fishing restrictions needed to make them meaningful. Designating an area as protected does not in itself give it any actual protection.
There has been some progress offshore, with restrictions finally introduced last year in marine protected areas more than 12 nautical miles from the coast. These measures, while not as strong as they could be, will protect some of our precious habitats like cold water coral reefs from the damage inflicted by trawler fishing. Some of Scotland’s coral reefs are thought to be eight thousand years old, and provide food and shelter for a huge variety of wildlife including commercially important fish species.
But the waters closer to land remain largely unprotected. These ‘inshore’ waters are incredibly rich in marine life, and they include the spawning and nursery habitats that are vital for fish and shellfish stocks – and for fishing. This is where the majority of Scotland’s fishing fleet operates, as well as where people come to see wildlife and enjoy the coastal environment.
But without fishing restrictions, destructive industrial practices like bottom trawling and dredging are still allowed to sweep across many of our most sensitive seabed habitats, destroying precious marine life and the ecosystems that sustain it. In turn, this means that Scotland’s small-scale, lower impact inshore fishing industry struggles to survive.
Without meaningful restrictions, our inshore marine protected areas can’t deliver real protection or outcomes. But when the right action is taken, life can bounce back in abundance. Earlier this year, a study found that seabed life had tripled after a bottom trawling ban in the South Arran marine protected area. A decade after protections were put in place, the recovery was clear evidence that marine ecosystems can heal when given breathing space.
We need to exclude bottom trawling and dredging from marine protected areas designated for seabed habitats. And in areas designated for other wildlife such as whales and dolphins, restrictions should be introduced based on scientific evidence and the level of risk to the species living there. Accidental capture in fishing gear and disturbance by vessels and noisy marine activities are major problems for marine mammals, and must be properly addressed in these areas to reduce their impact.
Strengthened protection does not mean closing marine protected areas to everyone. It means reducing the most damaging activities or changing how they operate so marine life can recover, while allowing small-scale, lower impact fishing to continue and support local jobs.
Protections for marine protected areas were originally supposed to be introduced in 2016. But in December last year the Scottish government delayed the public consultation required to implement the inshore measures for the fourth time. Cabinet Secretary Gillian Martin said that launching this consultation would be a high priority after the Holyrood election.
We’re still waiting. Coastal communities, fishing organisations and environment charities are geared up to respond to the consultation so that protections can finally be put in place. Meanwhile, the environmental destruction continues. The greater the damage to our precious ocean species and habitats, the harder it will be to help them recover and thrive.
Marine protected areas are not the whole answer to stopping the destruction and bringing our seas back to life. Ultimately, for the future of marine wildlife and of fishing, we need to manage all of Scotland’s seas in accordance with what their diverse ecosystems can sustain. But properly protecting these key areas is an essential first step.
Since I started working in this field, global scientific and public understanding of the urgent need to protect and restore our seas has deepened significantly. We know what we need to do. Scotland’s seas can’t afford any more delays. And I don’t want to wait any longer to see the sea I love start to recover.
Written by Esther Brooker Scottish Environment LINK’s senior marine advocacy officer.
Published originally in The Herald.
Featured Image: Alison Moore | MCS