Folk encouraged to attend marine protected areas consultation event
PEOPLE with a connection to the local fishing industry are being encouraged to attend a consultation event in Lerwick tonight (Friday) on marine protected areas (MPAs).
The drop-in Scottish Government event is taking place between 6pm and 9pm at Lerwick’s Town Hall.
It centres around proposed fisheries management measures.
Scotland’s existing network of more than 230 MPAs has been in place since 2010, and covers 37 per cent of Scottish waters.
MPAs were designed to protect specific identified marine habitats or species on the seabed, and are different from the recently abandoned plans for Highly Protected Marine Areas (HMPAs) – which tried to close whole areas of sea to fishing.
Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) executive officer Daniel Lawson said the organisation is trying to get the word out around the Lerwick consultation event.
He explained MPAs are already in existence, but protection measures have not yet been introduced.
Lawson said there are two options – one of them is what “already has agreed to”, which is closing off areas where things on the seabed needing protection are located.
He added the other option is effectively closing off the MPA to trawl fisheries.
Lawson suggested the SFA is “confused” why this second option is being introduced when the first option has already been agreed to by government, industry and environmental groups.
He added the organisation is keen to see protection measures that are “evidence based and actually are going to achieve something”.
Introducing the consultation, which runs until 14 October, the Scottish Government’s net zero cabinet secretary Gillian Martin said that in light of the biodiversity and climate crisis the marine environment needed further support.
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“Marine protected areas already provide focused protection for the species and habitats in our waters,” she had said.
“By implementing proposed fisheries management measures, we can further guard against further biodiversity loss, help to restore high priority marine features and make a greater contribution to supporting and maintaining the marine ecosystem, which in turn supports our long-term food security.
“This will help ensure our seas remain a source of prosperity for the nation, especially in our coastal and island communities.
“These proposals are the result of many years of development, and we will continue to consult very closely with industry and coastal communities to hear their views.”
Further details on the consultation can be found here.
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