Local MSP Brian Whittle has hit out at plans by the SNP-Green Government to effectively ban fishing and other activities within 10% of Scotland’s coastal seas through the creation of Highly Protected Marine Areas, often referred to as HPMAs.
The plans, put out for consultation by the Scottish Government as part of the SNP’s deal with the Scottish Green party, propose to prevent all fishing, aquaculture (such as seaweed farming) and even tourist activities on swathes of Scotland’s seas. This has been met with a huge backlash from the fishing industry and others living in coastal communities who have criticised the Scottish Government’s plans and argued that they could end up putting whole industries out of business.
Scottish Conservative MSP Brian Whittle spoke in Holyrood about his opposition to the plans, attacking the Scottish Government for pressing ahead with the proposals despite Ministers admitting that they lacked enough data to back up their plans. Instead, Brian is calling for the current plans to be scrapped and for the Scottish Government to work with fishermen, coastal communities, and environmental organisations rather than pitting them against each other.
While the First Minister has been forced to promise that communities that are “vehemently opposed” won’t have HPMAs forced on them, there has been no detail about exactly how that commitment will be delivered.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“Scotland’s seas are one of our most valuable assets. Not only do they provide a living for many people around our coasts, but they also play a huge role in fighting climate change. Healthy seas store vast amounts of carbon dioxide and, properly managed, sustainable fisheries provide us with an important food source.
That’s why it’s so disappointing that the Scottish Government have started this discussion about how we can better protect them by making proposals that risk destroying our fishing industry and harming the economy of communities around our coasts. Once again, the SNP have been told what to do by the Scottish Greens and they’ve gone ahead without questioning it.
We’ve seen time and time again that in the SNP-Green coalition, it’s not the facts and data that matters but the radical ideology of Green MSPs who are convinced only they are right. This is government by wilful ignorance and it’s profoundly harmful.
I want Scotland’s seas to flourish and that means sensible environmental protections based on accurate data and designed in collaboration with those who live and work by the sea. It’s time the Scottish Government started listening to and working with those who know the seas best, not ignoring them to keep their political bedfellows happy.”
