Probe on alleged scallop dredging at protected loch

An investigation into allegations of illegal fishing in a protected sea loch in the north-west Highlands is under way.

The probe was launched after divers recorded underwater film footage showing damage to the seabed in Loch Gairloch consistent with dredging, which is prohibited.

The Wester Ross loch is an important spawning ground for herring. The water body has been closed to bottom-towed fishing gear since the 1980s, but witnesses believe scallop dredgers have been fishing there illegally over the past month.