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THE Scottish government plans to turn 10 per cent of its waters into highly protected maritime areas (HPMAs), where trawling, dredging and fishing — both recreational and commercial — will be banned.
Scottish Greens coastal spokeswoman Ariane Burgess MSP said: “In Scotland and across the world, nature is in crisis, with many species facing extinction.
“Urgent action is needed to turn things around and HPMAs, or no-take zones, are a critical part of this.”
Scotland’s only present no-take zone is Lamlash Bay, off the Isle of Arran. It was created in 2008 after campaigning by Community of Arran Seabed Trust (Coast), which points to a 400 per cent increase in some species in the zone’s first decade.
Scottish Labour MSP Katy Clark said: “The Lamlash no-take zone is an excellent example of a HPMA created against the odds by a community campaign.
“Ayrshire had thriving fishing communities, but we have fished out our seas and almost destroyed our marine ecosystems.
“What we know, however, is that no-take zones work by allowing the marine environment to regenerate, but we need community buy-in for marine protection.”
