Anger as illegal dredgers tear up protected seabed

● Divers filmed a trail of destruction in conservation site

Scallop divers have uncovered evidence of illegal dredge fishing within a protected nature conservation area off Scotland’s west coast.

They say it offers proof the policing of protected waters is inadequate and must be stepped up.

Davy Stinson and Steve Barlow discovered a trail of smashed up shellfish, some of it still alive, and significant disturbance to the seabed during a recent dive in the Firth of Lorn. They returned to the same spot, near Insh island, a few days later to film the damage and report it.

Their findings come two years after special protection measures were introduced to safeguard rare marine life in the area, including a ban on bottom-trawling fishing methods.

Mr Stinson, who has been a diver for about 40 years, described the destruction as “heartbreaking”. “We had started to see significant signs of recovery after decades of dredging, not just of scallops, but the wider ecosystem,” he said. “Now we are back at ground zero. The seabed looks like the bottom of a quarry.

“It’s all the collateral damage to non-commercial species. Nobody knows the full extent of harm that has been done.”

Local fishermen and conservationists claimed the illegal dredging was just the latest example of what has become a worryingly regular activity.

They say tighter regulations should be introduced so no vessels can fish undetected. Only boats over 12m in length must have electronic monitoring systems.

Nick Underdown, from the environmental group Open Seas, said stricter controls would be good for the fishing industry and for consumers, who could be inadvertently eating seafood caught illegally and in an environmentally damaging way. “This prob- lem is only possible because there is poor traceability within Scotland’s inshore fishery,” he said.

“Illegal dredging has the potential to damage our reputation for high-quality, sustainable seafood and we hope the industry remains open to government measures to resolve the situation urgently.”

The Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura marine protected area was designated in 2015 to conserve the local flapper skate population. In 2016, it became illegal to fish using towed gears in parts of the site.

The latest incident has taken place less than 12 months after a rare flame shell reef was destroyed by a dredger fishing legally in Lochcarron.