How is the SNP protecting Scotland’s marine environment?

Scotland has over 60% of the UK’s fishing waters and an abundance of marine resources – we will treat these as a national asset to be protected, nurtured, developed and enhanced for the benefit of this and future generations.

We understand the need to conserve our precious and valuable marine environment and biodiversity. Failure to protect coastal areas would not only result in permanent damage to habitats and the fish stocks they support, but also the jobs and livelihoods they support.

In government we have exceeded the proposed international target to achieve 30% of global Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) coverage by 2030.

The addition of 16 new sites to our MPAs network demonstrates Scotland’s commitment to lead by example on marine environmental protection.

These measures help conserve Scotland’s vital marine environment and protect the important seabed features for future generations.