Campaigners criticize the Scottish Government for failing to protect marine life and habitats, risking whales and seabirds
Edinburgh: So, it turns out that whales and seabirds are in a bit of trouble because the Scottish Government hasn’t kept its promises to protect our seas. Campaigners from Open Seas are sounding the alarm, saying that nearly three-quarters of Scotland’s special marine conservation zones aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do.
They’re calling this a case of “political neglect” as the health of our seas keeps getting worse. A staggering 95% of Scotland’s inshore waters are still open to industrial scallop-dredging, which is pretty much the worst kind of fishing for the seabed.
This is especially concerning since Scotland’s highest civil court ruled earlier this year that the government’s way of licensing this type of fishing was illegal. Back in 2014, they set up a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) around the coast, but it seems like not much has changed since then.
Some of these areas are meant to protect vulnerable species like the minke whale and flapper skate, as well as seabirds like the black guillemot. The government claims that 37% of the seas are covered by MPAs, but campaigners argue that only a quarter of these areas are being managed properly.
Nick Underdown from Open Seas is pretty frustrated. He says the report shows just how much the government is neglecting one of Scotland’s biggest treasures. More than half of the sites aren’t even close to meeting their legal requirements.
He pointed out that Scottish ministers are just “treading water” while the seas keep getting worse. Back in 2020, Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon promised to fix this by the next year, and then in June 2023, she said progress would be made by the end of 2024. Coastal communities and the public deserve better than this.
Open Seas also mentioned that nearly three-quarters of Scotland’s marine protected areas lack the management needed to help marine life recover. Less than 5% of inshore seas are protected from the damaging scallop dredging.
They looked at the government’s six-yearly progress report on MPAs, which came out just before Christmas. It showed that only 27.5% of Scottish MPAs have all the management measures needed to reach their goals.
Right now, only 25% of these areas are meeting their conservation objectives. The rest are either partially meeting them or not meeting them at all due to ongoing issues or lack of management.
There’s been a little bit of good news, though. In Loch Carron, flame shell beds are recovering thanks to emergency protection. But in Shetland, things have gotten worse. Open Seas noted that where MPAs are enforced properly, they actually work, boosting marine life and even tourism.
But overall, the report shows that the Scottish Government is lagging behind on marine protection, with key promises still unfulfilled. They even scrapped plans for ‘Highly Protected Marine Areas’ that would have banned fishing in certain spots during the SNP-Greens coalition.
The Scottish Government hasn’t commented yet, but it’s clear that action is needed to protect our seas and the creatures that call them home.
