Whales, seabirds and seabeds have been put at risk by Scottish ministers failing to keep promises to protect our seas, campaigners have warned. Eco charity Open Seas issued the damning comments after the SNP government’s own figures showed nearly three quarters of Scotland’s special marine conservation zones are failing to meet their objectives.
Open Seas blasted the failings as “political neglect” while the health of our seas declines. In particular, it highlighted how a shocking 95 per cent of Scotland’s inshore waters are still not protected from industrial scallop-dredging which lays waste to the seabed – deemed the most destructive type of fishing activity in Europe.
It comes despite Scotland’s highest civil court ruling earlier this year that the government’s approach to licensing this type of fishery was unlawful. A network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) was established around the Scottish coastline in 2014.
Some of these are intended to protect specific vulnerable species, such as the minke whale and flapper skate and seabirds like the black guillemot. The Scottish Government claims its MPAs now cover 37 per cent of the nation’s seas – however, campaigners said barely a quarter of these are being managed effectively.
Nick Underdown of Open Seas hit out: “The report shows the political neglect of one of Scotland’s greatest public assets and sadly lays bare Scottish ministers’ ongoing failed promises to look after our seas. More than half of the sites are either not ‘moving toward’ or only partially ‘moving toward’ meeting their legal requirements.
“Scottish ministers are just treading water, while the health of our seas declines. In 2020 Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon said this would be resolved in the following year, and in June 2023 the Cabinet Secretary said progress would be made by the end of 2024. Coastal communities and the wider public deserve better.”
The charity chief added: “Nearly three quarters of Scotland’s marine protected areas are still lacking the management needed to recover the health of marine biodiversity. Less than 5 per cent of Scotland’s inshore seas are protected from the most damaging fishing method in Europe, scallop dredging.”
The charity analysed data from the Holyrood government’s six-yearly progress report on its MPAs network, published just before Christmas. It found only 27.5 per cent of Scottish MPAs implemented all the management measures considered necessary to achieve their goals.
Meanwhile, six int ten sites are either not “moving toward” or only partially “moving toward” meeting their goals. Currently, just 25 per cent are meeting their conservation objectives, while 65 per cent are partially meeting them and 10 per cent are not meeting them due to ongoing pressures or insufficient management.
There has been one improvement since 2018, in Loch Carron – where flame shell beds have seen an encouraging recovery following emergency protection – and one decline, in Shetland. Open Seas said that where MPAs are properly enforced, they are working, with successful areas seeing boosts in both marine conservation outcomes and tourism.
But overall, the group said the report “lays bare the Scottish Government’s stalled progress on marine protection” amid “chronically delayed action on key promises”. The government previously ditched controversial plans for ‘Highly Protected Marine Areas’ (HPMAs) which would have banned fishing altogether in certain areas during the SNP-Greens coalition.
The Scottish Government has been asked for comment.
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