Fisheries future
This accusation does not stand up to scrutiny. The proposals by Richard Lochhead, Cabinet secretary for rural affairs, food and environment, are a bold set of measures which will start to bring Scottish marine management into line with best practice. Many other countries have learned that if they want to have a healthy fishery they need to protect large areas of the sea, and particularly the crucially important seabed, from unsustainable fisheries.
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Hide AdProtected areas allow fish populations to recover, and then spill over into adjoining fishing areas. As a consequence, fisheries get richer, not poorer, because of well-designed spatial closures.
The measures announced by Richard Lochhead to exclude dredgers and bottom trawlers from the four Marine Protected Areas are a crucial step towards Scotland having well-managed seas. They respect the wishes of the wide array of stakeholders who believe this public asset should be managed for the benefit of all, and, far from being socio-economic vandalism, are vital if we are to stop the long decline in Scotland’s fishing industry and the many communities that depend upon our once-rich coastal waters.
Charles Millar
Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust
Rose Street
Edinburgh