Key figures from Scotland’s fishing and seafood industries have united to demand the Scottish Government ditches plans to introduce Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs).
Scottish ministers have already pledged to give 10% of waters such a designation, placing strict limits on human activities within them.
A petition has now been lodged urging the government to drop its current policy in favour of developing an “evidence-based approach”.
Leaders from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) have joined with industry bodies Seafood Scotland and Salmon Scotland, as well as the Scottish Association of Fish Producers’ Organisations, the Community Fisheries Inshore Alliance and Scottish Seafood Association, to protest against the plans.
Speaking at a protest outside the Scottish Parliament, SFF chief executive Elspeth Macdonald said: “We call on the Scottish Government to scrap their plans, scrap the ban and acknowledge that it’s time to think again.
“Banning fishing in at least 10% of our waters is the wrong approach - no evidence has been produced by ministers to show why HPMAs are necessary or that they will achieve their very vague aims.”
Instead she claimed the policy is being brought in to “appease” the Scottish Greens, who are in a power-sharing agreement with the SNP at Holyrood.
Macdonald warned that pressing ahead with HPMAs will “cost jobs, devastate Scottish coastal and island communities and will push the seafood sector into the red”.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said: “There is scant scientific justification for the proposed HPMAs, and an outright ban on responsible sea activities is not the solution.”
He argued the “sustainable growth” of salmon farming is “vital” for both the “wellbeing of our coastal communities” and the overall economy.
Scott added: “These proposals present a significant threat to our rural way of life, and opposition is growing both inside and outside of Holyrood.”
Elaine Whyte, executive secretary of the Community Inshore Fisheries Alliance, claimed HPMAs are “only the latest example of top down policies which threaten coastal communities and ignore the positive roles fishing communities play”.
Jimmy Buchan, chief executive of the Scottish Seafood Association, said while the aim of protecting the marine environment is “commendable”, protections are already in place in more than a third of Scottish waters.
“Concerns have been raised about the impact of HPMAs on rural communities and the businesses that support them,” he said. “It is crucial that the Scottish Government listens to all stakeholders and takes into account their concerns and perspectives.”
The issue was also raised inside Holyrood, with Conservative MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston saying ministers have been warned they could “cause a second clearance” with the policy.
The Tory Highlands and Islands MSP insisted: “These plans need scrapping, not amending, and we need the Scottish Government to start listening to the sector and to impacted local communities.”
Biodiversity Minister Lorna Slater said the government is “committed to listening to the views of people living and working in our coastal and island communities” on the plans.
She added: “The consultation on HPMAs is at a very early stage in the sense that we have not got any specific details as to where these might be located, and we will be working closely with communities as we go forward, to work with those communities to shape their creation.”
Slater told MSPs that without action, the “current trends in nature degradation do place a significant risk on Scotland’s economic prosperity”.
She said the “long-term prosperity of coastal and island communities depends on healthy seas and thriving marine eco systems”, adding: “We know from studies that removing human activities can have benefits for both the marine environment and the people who rely on it.”
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