As part of a proposed ban on bottom trawling in 20 of Scotland’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the Scottish government has completed a public consultation on the subject.
The consultation is the most recent step in almost a decade of work on the part of the Scottish government to enact new, more comprehensive fishery management plans in ecologically sensitive areas.
It comes a year after the government ditched controversial plans to implement highly protected marine areas (HPMAs) that would have enacted strict limits on fishing and aquaculture in protected waters. In the midst of blowback from coastal communities and the fishing and aquaculture industries, the government retracted those plans and promised “further community and industry engagement" as conservation goals were met in the future.
Though about 40 percent of Scottish waters are protected by MPAs, conservationists have long argued that because commercial fishing is allowed in the protected waters, these designations are largely ineffective.
The recently completed consultation took various forms. A detailed online survey was offered to all members of the public, which included questions about respondents' opinions on whether bottom trawling and dredging should be allowed in each of the 20 MPAs under consideration.
For 15 of the 20 MPAs, it offered respondents the option of endorsing restricted zones within the MPAs or total closures of the MPA to bottom trawling and dredging gear. For the other five MPAs, respondents were asked to share their opinions on a total fishing ban in the protected area. In-person events also took place around the country to canvas opinions on the same questions.
An analysis by marine protection nonprofit Oceana UK recorded over 100,000 hours of industrial fishing in the U.K.’s MPAs in 2023, as well as 33,000 hours of bottom trawling. As its reporting showed, 10 fishing vessels were likely responsible for more than one-quarter of the bottom trawling it identified. Describing the damage caused by trawling and dredging, Oceana UK Director Hugo Tagholm said that many U.K. MPAs are “crisscrossed with the scars of this highly destructive form of fishing.”
Though the results of the government’s consultation are not yet available, a recent survey conducted on behalf of The Our Seas coalition has suggested that 63 percent of Scottish adults were supportive of the proposed bans.
The Scottish fishing industry, however, has been organizing its members in opposition to the proposals, arguing that the they are likely to be damaging to the industry and ineffective from a conservation standpoint.
Politicians from coastal communities have been especially vocal.
Buckie, Scotland-based Conservative MSP Tim Eagle said that the consultation brought back fears about last year’s proposed HPMAs, which the Scottish fishing industry worked hard to fight. He said that the government must understand that fishers are already being squeezed by the range of MPAs, which currently cover 37 percent of Scottish waters.
“Spatial squeeze is among the biggest fears within the fishing industry,” he said. “Living along the northeast coastline myself, I know, like many, that fishing helps to form the lifeblood of our coastal communities, and it’s imperative the industry has a voice at the table for shaping policy.”
Orkey and Shetland-based MP Alistair Carmichael echoed similar concerns.
“After the disaster that was the SNP-Green coalition’s attempt at imposing HPMAs last year, people are understandably wary of these new proposals," he said. "The catching sector has always been willing to engage in good faith with the government; the question is whether this will be consultation in good faith from the government themselves. Fishermen want biodiversity and sustainability in our waters as much as anyone, but we need to strike the right balance so that evidence and outcomes drive decision-making, rather than blanket bans and a top-down approach.”
At in-person consultation events, fishers and their families raised concerns about the combined toll which restrictions to fishing in MPAs and proposed wind farms would take on their fisheries. As the Shetland Times reported, Shetland Fisherman Association Executive Daniel Lawson "there was a sense of hypocrisy in the fact that one of the MPA proposals will prevent fishing in areas where cables for offshore wind developments would be permitted.”
In an op-ed for the same paper encouraging fishers to attend the consultation event, Lawson suggested that the government’s plan lacked scientific evidence to back it up, saying that “often, it seems that new rules are introduced on the basis that it is believed they will achieve their aims, instead of conclusive proof that they will do so.”
When she introduced the consultation, Scottish Net-Zero Cabinet Secretary Gillian Martin said that the severity of the biodiversity and climate crises requires robust action and that the government’s plan had the long-term vitality of the fishing industry in view.
“MPAs already provide focused protection for the species and habitats in our waters,” she said. “By implementing proposed fisheries management measures, we can further guard against further biodiversity loss, help to restore high-priority marine features, and make a greater contribution to supporting and maintaining the marine ecosystem, which in turn supports our long-term food security. This will help ensure our seas remain a source of prosperity for the nation, especially in our coastal and island communities.”
