A PETITION calling for better protection of the seas is to be presented to First Minister John Swinney this week.
More than 15,500 signatures have so far been added to the petition and campaigners have appealed to as many people as possible to show their support at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.
The protest day has been organised by the Our Seas coalition because of concerns over the collapse of fishing stocks.
They are demanding the re-establishment of a modern, coastal limit on bottom-towed fisheries to prevent damaging fishing in the most vulnerable coastal areas.
The coalition claims the seas around Scotland have suffered from decades of decline, with collapses in fish stocks hitting coastal communities and businesses hard.
Inshore waters were previously protected by a three-mile limit, created following concerns from the fishing industry about the impact of trawling.
It was removed in 1984, causing fish stocks to plummet, according to campaigners.
“The continued development of fishing gear has enabled trawling to occur on harder areas of seabed, bouncing over stones that would have previously snagged and torn lighter nets,” said a spokesperson.
“This means a larger area of Scotland’s seabed has become intensively ‘swept’ by these fishing methods.”
Today, bottom-trawling is allowed in 90% of Scotland’s coastal seas, with dredging in 95%.
“Scallop dredges rake the seabed ever closer to shore, undermining the fight against climate change and preventing the recovery of fish populations,” the spokesperson added.
“The habitats covering Scotland’s seabed have been degraded to a fraction of their former extent.
“Oyster beds that once carpeted our Firths have been raked to local extinction, seagrass beds are confined to just a few small pockets of our coastline and maerl beds that once supported a huge amount of life have been dredged into gravel.
“There are many examples of damage to habitats that Scottish Natural Heritage deem ‘Priority Marine Features’, both inside and outside Marine Protected Areas.”
The campaigners claim that bringing back an inshore limit would help habitats recover and result in resilient fisheries.
“If implemented fairly, this transition would allow our inshore marine environment to recover,” the spokesperson said.
“It would provide a nursery for fish populations, sustainable jobs for sustainable fishermen, vibrant seas for coastal tourism and a resilient future for Scotland.
“By investing in the recovery of our seas, we can build a better future for communities, fishermen and the many who rely on a productive, diverse environment.”
The protest day will begin at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, where members and supporters will gather before heading to the Scottish Parliament to hand in the petition.
