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โ€‹โ€‹Home ยป Updates ยป Kelp to be protected from mechanical dredging!

SIFT Updates


Kelp to be protected from mechanical dredging!

1

21 November, 2018

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Holyrood today passed the Crown Estate Scotland Bill after the Stage Three debate, the final part of the the parliamentary process. As part of that debate, amendments from the Cabinet Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham, and from Mark Ruskell MSP were passed which ensure that harvesting of wild kelp will only be legal where the plant itself is not killed.

This is the same principle which already applied for hand harvesters, who argued for consistency both on economic and environmental grounds. Creelers and other fishers also supported these measures, in part because the species they catch rely on kelp habitats.

In addition, MSPs had been urged to protect Scotland’s kelp forests by the legendary naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough, and by the Ullapool Sea Savers.

This vote represents a success not just for SIFT’s Help the Kelp campaign, but also for local communities and small businesses up and down the west coast. Some of the contributions to the debate are below.

Mark Ruskell MSP, moving his amendment

Claudia Beamish MSP, who signed Mark Ruskell’s amendment

Gail Ross MSP, who was full of praise for the Sea Savers

Finlay Carson MSP, closing for the Scottish Conservatives

Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, opening the debate for the Scottish Government

Help The Kelp on Twitter

Retweet on TwitterHelp The Kelp Retweeted
ImpatientGopherDan Abbott@ImpatientGopher·
29 Jun

Divers we were able to decrease urchin to just about 2/m2 and kelp went from essentially zero to roughly 20% of the historical average. Not the full recovery we would have preferred but very encouraging as it shows that removing urchins can be a tool to restore kelp forests.

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Resources

  • SIFT Kelp MSP Briefing
Partners

  • Ullapool Sea Savers
Related SIFT Projects

  • Help The Kelp

> Go to Twitter
Retweet on TwitterSIFT Scotland Retweeted
20 Jun

๐Ÿ’š#Biodiversity is vital for us all and it is in crisis, so we need to change the way we use natural resources.

๐Ÿ“ข๐Ÿ’ฌWe're looking for views on our ambitious new strategy to halt #natureloss by 2030, and reverse it by 2045.

Take part in the consultation: https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-2022/



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