OUR SEAS
We are an alliance of Scottish organisations, businesses, communities and individuals that support a move to sustainable use of our coastal seas.
We are calling for the re-establishment of a modern, coastal limit on bottom-towed fisheries to restrict damaging fishing from the coastal zones of our seas that are most vulnerable.
If implemented fairly, this transition would allow our inshore marine environment to recover. It would provide a nursery for fish populations, sustainable jobs for sustainable fishermen, vibrant seas for coastal tourism and a resilient future for Scotland.
Our seas have suffered from decades of decline.
Collapses in fish stocks have hit coastal communities and businesses.
Scallop dredges rake the seabed ever closer to shore, undermining the fight against climate change and preventing the recovery of fish populations.
Many of Scotland’s coastal fish stocks have collapsed and Covid-19 has exposed the difficulties our inshore fishermen are facing. Now more than ever we need to support them.
Our seas are being stretched to the limit.|
But it does not have to be this way.
By investing in the recovery of our seas, we can build a better future for communities, fishermen and the many who rely on a productive, diverse environment.
Now is our chance to change.
We need to take action now to bring our seas, communities and fisheries back from the brink.
In 1984 it was removed.
Today bottom-trawling is allowed in 90% of our coastal seas, dredging in 95% Since then fish stocks have plummeted
along with the numbers of active fishermen around our coast.
Fishermen are having to fish harder for less as seabed habitats have been reduced to a fraction of their historic extent Bringing back an inshore limit will help recover habitats and productive, resilient fisheries
We are calling for:
The return of a modern seaward limit on bottom-towed fishing, via a just transition.
Effective vessel tracking systems for all boats.
Preferential allocation of fishing opportunity to vessels with low environmental impact, bringing increased sustainable economic value and employment to communities.
Bring Back the Fish - Bring Back Scotland's #InshoreLimit
We call on the First Minister and Scottish Government to stop the chronic destruction of our seabed by urgently reinstating a coastal limit on bottom-trawl and dredge fishing...
What is the problem?
Scottish coastal seas have been driven into decline due to decades of mismanagement. Destructive bottom towed fishing gear has had free access to over 95% of our inshore waters since the 1980’s, to the detriment of habitats, biodiversity, fisheries, and communities. The Covid-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on how few of our inshore fisheries could feed our nation if times get tough
How have we got here?
In 1889 a law was passed to protect fish stocks and small boats by banning trawling (except by sail) from within three nautical miles of the shore. Catastrophically the law was removed in 1984 against a backdrop of the industrialization of fishing technology, breaches of the Three Mile Limit, and declining offshore fish stocks. Access to the inshore appeared to improve catches for a short while, but inevitably led to the rapid decline of fish stocks as seabed habitats - vital nurseries and shelter for many species - were destroyed.