Marine bill 'will just keep status quo, not save endangered seas'

Published on Tuesday 13 October 2009 22:05

PLANNED Scottish marine laws do not go far enough to protect the health of the seas and restore habitats damaged by years of exploitation, says a new report.

The Scottish Association for Marine Science highlights species ranging from cod to maerl – a type of algae – that have been depleted over the past decades due to human activity.

They argue that proposed actions in the Scottish Marine Bill would not go far enough to reverse the damage, serving only to maintain the status quo.

The report, Recovering Scotland's Marine Environment, calls for duties to be placed on Scottish ministers to improve the health of Scotland's seas.

It also calls for ministers to draw up a national marine plan – which would cover activity allowed in all Scottish waters. And it suggests targets be set out to make sure improvements are made to the health of the seas.

The authors said the bill as it stands would "only manage the status quo". They said: "It will not bring about any improvement in the wider seas outside marine protected areas."

The study was prepared for Scottish Environment LINK – the network for Scotland's voluntary-sector environmental organisations.

Calum Duncan, convener of LINK's marine task force, said: "If we want to see sustainable and growing industries based in the seas around Scotland – and to support the future of the communities around our coasts – we have to improve the quality of the marine environment.

"This report contains conclusive evidence that we have been going in the opposite direction for too many years and decades.

"LINK calls for clear assurances, from all political parties, that the central purpose of the Marine Bill before the Scottish Parliament will be to make our seas more healthy and full of life – and therefore more valuable."

The report also highlights some examples of improved marine management, such as ongoing work to reduce fish farm impacts, the use of selective fishing gear, and the adoption of closed areas for juvenile fish.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We welcome this report, particularly the positive response to our proposals on new planning systems and Marine Protected Areas." He said the comments would receive consideration as work continued to deliver a "highly ambitious and historic" bill.

Drastic decline of species native to Scotland's seas

Marine species affected by human activities:

&#149 HERRING: During the late 20th century stocks experienced a catastrophic decline with landings in the North Sea falling from around 650,000 tonnes a year in the 1950s to almost zero in the 1970s.

&#149 COD: Landings in the North Sea have declined from a peak of around 800,000 tonnes in 1980 to near zero.

&#149 SKATES and RAYS: Inshore landings have declined from around 465 tonnes in 1997 to fewer than 150 tonnes in 2008.

&#149 MAERL: A coral-like red algae that are important both as nursery grounds for young scallops and young fish. Scallop dredging has been found to kill over 70 per cent of live maerl, with no discernible recovery over the following four years.

&#149 NATIVE OYSTER: Once widespread in dense beds, these are now rare.