First Minister needs to axe HPMA plan in current form
Very few subjects have had so much kick-back as the current consultation on the Highly Protected Marine Areas.
It’s hard to know where to start on how badly the Scottish Government has handled this. There is no argument that we should do what we can to protect our marine environment, but it should be evidence-based, and in a way that supports our vital and varied fishing industries and coastal communities. Many livelihoods depend on the sea and, as SNP MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar Angus MacNeil says (see page 5), the areas they want to protect are those that are already fished and looked after sustainably.
The move would also fly in the face of the Island Bill, which is supposed to be about repopulation and thriving communities. Councillor Kenneth MacLean says this week (see right) that if this is pushed forward it will have the opposite effect, finishing what absentee landlords started.
The government needs to scrap this plan and talk to the fishermen, scientists, policy makers and west coast communities to ensure we have a transparent framework to build on for generations to come.
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