Will the Scottish government really support the south of Arran MPA?

Alan Bellamy sends us a concerned view

So, thanks to massive public support and the tireless work of COAST we have our South Arran MPA. Hurray! Or not. Have we been hoodwinked? Is it all greenwash? Are they taking the P?

The detailed proposals for managing the MPA have just been published by Marine Scotland. There will be a short consultation period for responses to these. The proposals can be found here.

In short, there are three alternative plans. These differ in the way that various areas within the MPA are to be limited to various fishing practices. But they are identical in that, in practice, there will be virtually no protection at all! When you take into account that there is only one inshore/offshore fisheries protection vessel for Scottish waters, it will be pretty much business as usual for bottom dredging for scallops and all the other practices that are destroying our marine environment. Reading the proposals it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Marine Scotland, and the Scottish Government, seem to be very much in the pocket of the Big Fishing lobby.

So, what can we do? We can stop buying the produce from unsustainable and destructive fishing practices. We can support COAST in its proposal for full protection for the MPA. And we can demand that our politicians put the survival of the natural environment before the interests of one influential group.