Conservation groups hit out at ‘unfulfilled promises’ over Scotland’s seabed

Conservation campaigners said they were “deeply disappointed” by John Swinney’s failure to include protections for “under threat marine habitats” ahead of next year’s Holyrood election.

More than 150 groups, which are part of the Open Seas coalition, hit out in the wake of the First Minister announcing his programme for government for the coming year.

In a letter to Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon and acting Energy and Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin, the groups claimed the Scottish Government had “systematically neglected” the country’s seabed – which they said was “one our greatest assets”.

Their letter, they said, was sent to “mark an unfortunate and deeply disappointing milestone of unfulfilled government promises”.

The groups told Ms Gougeon and Ms Martin: “Our primary concern is that less than 5% of Scotland’s coastal seabed is protected from bottom-trawling and scallop dredging, two highly destructive methods of fishing that need much more effective management.”

They made the plea as they said the new Ocean film by Sir David Attenborough is “set to lift the lid on the environmental damage caused by bottom-trawling”.

The coalition, which includes organisations such as the Blue Marine Foundation and the National Trust for Scotland, as well as groups such as the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation and the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust, hit out at “broken promises” from the Government on the issue of marine protection.

These, they claimed, “have led to serious environmental harm” and also “disadvantaged small-scale, inshore, fishing businesses”.

The coalition wants a minimum of 30% of Scotland’s inshore waters to be protected from bottom-trawling and dredging, saying this will help the marine ecosystem and allow “sustainable fishing to continue”.

Calling on ministers to act, the groups said: “The Scottish Government needs to deliver the protection of our inshore waters, as they hold the majority of Scotland’s most important yet vulnerable habitats, species and ecosystems.

“Protecting Scotland’s inshore waters will safeguard economically and culturally significant low impact fisheries, fishing jobs in coastal communities and ensure a healthy marine environment that will benefit people and the planet.

“The failure to deliver these policy measures is having continued, direct, negative impacts on the health of our marine environment and its capacity to support future generations.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has a legal requirement to put in place fisheries management measures for Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and measures for offshore MPAs will be implemented in 2025.

“We will consult on measures for inshore MPAs sites once the statutory assessments are completed.”