Trawling ban for Scots sea lochs urged to protect ‘vulnerable’ carbon stores

Danny Lawson/PA Wire | Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Ministers are facing calls to introduce “coherent measures” to protect “vulnerable” carbon stores contained in Scotland’s sea lochs.

Environmental campaigners say a ban on seabed trawling in some areas is needed, with research showing just a “single disturbance event” can lead to “very rapid losses” of carbon.

The Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust (Sift) made the plea, arguing recent wildfires near peatlands – which also act as a carbon store – highlight the need for action.

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Scotland’s sea lochs play an important role in storing carbon which would otherwise be released into the environment and contribute to climate change.

Sift executive director Charles Millar called for Government action in light of research by the University of St Andrews which looked at the impact of seabed trawling in these areas.

The report’s senior co-author, Professor Bill Austin of the university’s Environmental Change Research Group – who was also the author of the Scottish Government’s Blue Carbon Action Plan published in September 2025 – said the research had shown “a single disturbance event can drive significant losses”.

Mr Millar said: “This new research confirms that the heads of Scottish sea lochs, which collect peat washed down by rivers from surrounding glens, contain some of the most vulnerable carbon stores in the country.

“We now know from these groundbreaking ‘sea loch simulator’ experiments that even a single disturbance event can have a major effect on these important sediments, releasing substantial amounts of carbon into the water and then back into the atmosphere.

“With Scottish peatlands at ever greater risk of fire, as we saw at the massive moorland blaze near Nethy Bridge in the Cairngorms this summer, we must urgently act to protect our equally important seabed carbon from disturbance.”

He said the Scottish Government was in June “found to have failed in its legal duties to ensure the Scottish seabed is achieving good environmental status”, he called for action.

“Ministers must bring forward coherent measures to protect our seabeds,” Mr Millar said. “That must include a prohibition on seabed trawling on these vital sea loch carbon stores.”

Lauren South, lead author of the St Andrews report, said previous work had shown areas of seabed in Scotland’s sea lochs act as a store for “substantial” amounts of carbon, much of this coming from peatlands.

The research involved a seabed simulator, which showed the “maximum disturbance effects” will occur at the upper ends of lochs, with Ms South adding this is often where the sediment is high in organic carbon content.

She said: “The results are startling, indicating that even a single disturbance event in these locations can cause very rapid losses of sedimentary organic carbon.

“This is part of a growing body of research which points in the same direction: if we care about natural carbon stores, it’s time to protect the most vulnerable seabed stores of carbon, and those at the heads of these sea lochs in particular.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said. “Blue carbon habitats play an important role in supporting biodiversity and helping to tackle climate change, and we welcome research that adds to the evidence base in this area.

“The impacts of seabed disturbance on stored carbon remain subject to scientific uncertainty, and Scotland’s blue carbon action plan includes actions to improve our understanding of these issues.

“We already have a strong set of measures in place to ensure that the marine environment is protected and are building on these through a range of initiatives, including the development of fisheries management measures in Marine Protected Areas.

“Any future decisions on measures to protect blue carbon habitats will continue to be informed by the best available scientific evidence.”