Nine in ten Scots want balance between protecting livelihoods and marine conservation, survey finds
MORE THAN nine in 10 people believe the Scottish Government should protect jobs and livelihoods when it makes decisions about marine conservation.
That comes from a new opinion poll commissioned by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), which polled 1,000 Scottish adults last month.
The survey, conducted by Opinion Matters, found that 90.8 per cent agreed with the idea that jobs and economic growth should be preserved when decisions around Scotland’s water were made.
Just 2.1 per cent disagreed, the poll found.
SFF chief executive Elspeth Macdonald highlighted the findings at the Federation’s annual dinner at The Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh last night (Thursday).
She has called for proportionate measures that protect vulnerable marine features while allowing sustainable fishing to continue.
The Scottish Government is currently consulting on fisheries management measures for inshore marine protected areas (MPAs) and priority marine features.
The poll also revealed that 87.4 per cent agreed that well-designed conservation policies can support both environmental protection and sustainable food production.
Ninety seven per cent considered it important that Scotland continues to catch fish and shellfish from its own waters, including 68.5 per cent who regarded this as very important.
Macdonald said: “These findings show strong public support for conservation policies that also sustain fishing livelihoods and food production.
“Ministers must give those priorities real weight when deciding how our seas are managed.
“MPAs were established on the principle of sustainable use, with a presumption that activities could continue so long as a site’s conservation objectives could be met.
“We recognise that fishing restrictions may be needed in some MPAs, but they should be designed to protect the feature concerned, rather than imposed as blanket measures across a whole site.
“Where existing measures meet conservation objectives, further curtailment of fishing is not justified. Where additional protection is demonstrably needed, measures should be targeted and proportionate.
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“The Scottish Government’s own analysis shows why blanket restrictions should not be the default.”
The SFF chairwoman added that fishing is a “force for good”, and provides healthy food as well as jobs at sea and ashore.
“The fact that 97 per cent of respondents consider it important for Scotland to continue catching fish and shellfish from its own waters reinforces just how much the public values our industry.
“That support must be reflected in the decisions that shape its future.”
In an opinion piece published by Shetland News in August, Scotland’s fishing minister Jim Fairlie said he understood the importance of fishing to the Shetland community and knows that “changes to how we manage our seas can feel unsettling for those whose livelihoods depend on them”.
He added that “our seas are a shared resource, and protecting them properly means looking after fish stocks, habitats and the long-term future of the very industries that rely on healthy marine environments”.
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