Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister, Scottish Government: Stop scallop dredging destroying Scotland's inshore sealife

Divers have seen at first‐hand the recent devastation inflicted by a single scallop dredger, legally, in Loch Carron, exposing the chronic mismanagement of Scotland's inshore fisheries.

Scallop dredges are heavy metal rakes attached to chain mesh nets and designed to penetrate the seabed to dig out scallops. A lack of modern management means that scallop dredging is allowed throughout our coastal seas, ripping into fragile reefs and rich seabeds that are part of our country's natural and cultural heritage, as well as being important nursery areas for fish and shellfish. Inshore dredging is not needed ‐ scallops can be gathered by diving without damaging other marine life. Stop the dredging and areas already damaged could recover and sustain more appropriate local fisheries such as creeling and diving, boost recovery of our inshore fish stocks, increase jobs in the sector and once more become a mainstay of fragile rural communities.

The Scottish Government has control over the management of our inshore area within 6 nautical miles, and has the power to act to stop the damage done by scallop dredging. We call on Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government to urgently ban scallop dredging within 3 miles of the shore, and legislate for a 'sustainable six' ‐ where low impact fisheries are promoted and damaging fishing is phased out within 6 miles of the shore.

For more information and video of damaged reefs&colon
http&colon//openseas.org.uk/2017/04/26/loch‐carron‐no‐more/
http&colon//www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk&dashscotland&dashhighlands&dashislands&dash39680781