A group of Scottish fishermen led by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) are taking their disappointment with new Marine Protected Area (MPA) rules to the government.
The fishermen are meeting with Richard Lochhead, cabinet secretary for rural affairs, in Glasgow to “highlight their anger and dismay” over the new MPA measures.
At issue are new management measures, announced on 11 June, for 11 inshore MPAs and nine special areas of conservation. According to a statement from the SFF, “the measures were greeted with dismay by inshore fishermen as they went far beyond the defined purpose of the MPA project, prohibiting fishing over much greater sea areas than what appeared to be agreed during the lengthy consultation process.”
SFF chief executive Bertie Armstrong described the new rules as “a significant breach of trust,” and noted the industry worked with the Scottish government to create a plan for future MPA management, but the new rules do not match what the plan specifies.
“To our astonishment, we find that the Cabinet Secretary’s actual decisions have disregarded the orderly process which went before and overreached mightily in placing restrictions which will damage local communities,” Armstrong said. “For the life of us, we do not know why he has done this and will be seeking an explanation.”
