Marine plans must be dropped

The new First Minister has been urged to make one of his first jobs scrapping controversial proposals to cut off 10 per cent of Scotland’s waters from fishing.

Plans for Highly Protected Marine Areas would harm the fishing sector and damage coastal communities. The contentious HPMA proposals would ban fishing in certain areas, and is being opposed by a number of organisations, including local authorities and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation.

I have written to new First Minister Humza Yousaf to ask him to have a rethink on that element of the Bute House Agreement made with the Greens, and stand up for communities across the Highlands and Islands in the process.

We all want to do more to protect our environment, but I believe that these plans could have a catastrophic impact for our fishing industry, particularly the nephrops sector, and have a negative effect on many coastal communities.

Many of my constituents, as well as a number of organisations and businesses, have expressed legitimate and significant concerns about the

Alan Frew was driving through Ardrishaig on a still clear night in February when he noticed some logging activity at the pier under flood lights, so he stopped to take an eye-catching photograph using a long exposure to pick up the trail of the car lights. Taken on a Nikon D7200, 18-300 lens, with the camera balanced on a fence post to allow the long exposure!

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unintended consequences of the Bute House Agreement. I appreciate Humza Yousaf is just in the door, but dropping these plans would be a sign to the people of the Highlands and Islands that he is on their side.

Donald Cameron, Highlands and Islands

MSP