LAST year’s stooshie over the proposed introduction of Highly Protected Marine Areas has undoubtedly increased scrutiny on marine policy in Scotland.
Whether one agreed with HPMAs or not, the political and media frenzy the idea created is not something any government would like to replicate.
It’s for this reason that the Scottish Government’s latest proposal to restrict bottom trawling within offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is perhaps more tentative than some conservationists would’ve liked.
The consultation, which is open until October 14, seeks views on the proposal to fully ban the use of trawling equipment in five offshore MPAs, with either partial or full bans at another 15.
Understandably, ministers are looking for a policy that enjoys the backing of environmentalists and the fishing industry.
But with the government’s own 2030 biodiversity goals fast approaching their deadline, are there really policies on marine protection that will please everybody?
The impact of trawling
THE vast majority of marine biologists agree that trawling – that is, the act of pulling a heavily weighted net that scrapes along the sea floor to catch fish and other sea life – has detrimental impacts on the environment.
As a method, it’s often indiscriminate.
It results in high levels of by-catch and scrapes the sea floor, resulting in damage to corals, reefs, sponges and pretty much anything else that lives on the bottom of the sea.
It’s why conservationists have for so long pleaded for further control of the method in areas ostensibly designated as “protected”.
“Marine Protected Areas are some of the most important parts of Scotland’s seas,” said Nick Underdown, head of campaigns at marine charity Open Seas.
“They’re the home for loads of incredible marine life, from the sand eel grounds of the Forth banks to reefs and other habitats with species like the sofa shark and the orange roughy.
“While largely out of sight and out of mind, these places are vital to the functioning of a healthy marine ecosystem and are recognised as such by our governments.
“But despite this recognition, they’ve not really been adequately protected.
“Almost half of inshore MPAs have no protection from bottom trawling and scallop dredging and many of the offshore MPAs have inadequate protection.
“That’s exactly why these proposals are on the table because current management isn’t good enough.”
Do the Scottish Government’s proposals go far enough?
THE consultation includes two different options for how trawling may be restricted within the included offshore MPAs.
The first option proposes “zonal exclusion” in 11 MPAs, which would ban trawling in some areas but permit the use of certain equipment in others.
The second option, however, would ban the use of trawling equipment within these MPAs completely.
“These proposals are welcome but we’re still digesting the full extent of the documentation,” added Underdown.
“There is a lot of complex and technical information, which means the Government has really created a barrier to the public engaging with it.
“However, some of the options set by the Scottish Government would provide only partial protection rather than whole-site protection, which as far as we’re concerned would be inadequate.
“They would leave some quite large areas of MPAs open to harm from bottom trawling, with those proposals appearing quite a bit weaker than ones that were initially developed during negotiations between the Government, the fishing industry, and environmental organisations nearly a decade ago.”
Marine biologist Dr Bryce Stewart, a senior research fellow at the Marine Biological Association, told the Sunday National that the offshore restrictions had to be matched by equally impactful inshore restrictions.
"It is great to see these proposals to finally better manage fisheries in Scotland's offshore marine protected areas,” he said.
“For too long, many of these MPAs have provided protection on paper only.
“Restricting demersal mobile fishing gear in the MPAs which have been designated to protect seabed habitats and species will certainly help reduce biodiversity loss in line with the Scottish Government's commitments.
“But we now need the same commitment to better manage fishing activities in Scotland's inshore MPAs, and to reduce human impact in the areas outside MPAs as well.
“This can be tackled by adapting existing fishing gear and moving progressively to lower-impact fishing methods.
“Of course, it is also crucial to tackle overriding threats such as pollution and climate change.”
What does the fishing industry say?
IT is still very early days for this legislation (although the HPMAs consultation spelled the end for idea before it really got off the ground).
But the Scottish Conservatives have wasted no time in criticising it, even if those criticisms don’t appear to be shared by the fishing industry itself.
When the consultation was announced, Tory MSP Tim Eagle claimed it came “when our fishing industry is already worried that the SNP’s reckless HPMA proposals will reappear under a different guise in the future”.
It should go without saying that anxiety over a previously scrapped policy shouldn’t preclude making new policies to protect the environment.
Indeed, Elena Balestri, senior fisheries policy and science manager at the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), told the Sunday National that ongoing negotiations with the Government and NGOs meant the measures were in line with “achieving the right balance between conservation and sustainable use”.
She said: “The SFF maintains a regular dialogue with the Scottish Government on conservation matters. We have been expecting this consultation for a while now.
“We will take an in-depth look at the measures proposed for each of the 20 sites and verify the evidence produced to support them.
“Apart from some slight modification to the areas where the measures will be implemented due to the gathering of new evidence, we do not expect deviations from what has been agreed during a long and co-operative process that has lasted years.
“The measures to be implemented in the offshore sites are in fact the result of a process that has seen the engagement, discussion and agreement among various stakeholders, including the fishing industry and various eNGOs.
“We are expecting measures that will protect the vulnerable features while ensuring minimal disruption to fishing activities, in line with achieving the right balance between conservation and sustainable use.
“We urge the Scottish Government to rely on this constructive and co-operative process, as deviating from it would undermine the industry’s confidence.”
‘We are where we are’
AS much as HPMAs were viewed by many as a blunt and impatient proposal, the reality is that nobody could accuse the Scottish Government of acting with much haste on marine protection over the past decade.
“The Scottish Government has repeatedly delayed previous commitments on improved fisheries management in MPAs, which has allowed Scotland’s natural heritage to be degraded and removed – which is both frustrating and regrettable,” said Underdown.
“But we are where we are now and that’s a place where the health of our seas has been in decline for decades.
“The task now is recovery and these proposals lay the foundations for that.
“We hope that following on from these proposals, we’ll see serious discussion about the reintroduction of an inshore fishing limit on bottom-towed fisheries, which would have beneficial impacts both in terms of biodiversity and ensuring sustainable fish stocks in the future.
“Evidence increasingly shows that well-managed Marine Protected Areas can bring significant benefits to coastal communities.”
The Scottish Government’s consultation on the bottom trawling ban in MPAs is available here
