Here we go again with “HPMA Mark Two”
Western Isles councillors have expressed fears that an “HPMA Mark Two” battle is in the offing, in the form of new fishery management proposals being worked on by the Scottish Government.
In June 2023, a fierce backlash against plans for Highly Protected Marine Areas forced SNP Ministers to withdraw them – but fears that they would reappear in another form were immediately expressed by island fishing interests.
In August of this year, in response to a “call for evidence”, the Western Isles Fishermen’s Association set out a wide range of issues on which they believe local management would be beneficial to both the economy of the Western Isles and the environment.
However, the plea for local management appears to have been ignored and the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate will now launch a public consultation in November on new proposals for inshore Marine Protected Areas and Priority Marine Features. Councillors recently received a presentation outlining likely measures.
A report to the Comhairle’s sustainable development committee says that “proposed measures are being driven by a need to satisfy legislative requirements rather than a reflection of risk to the marine environment in the areas concerned”.
The report says that a 60 per cent decline in the west coast fleet since 2016 has not been factored into concerns about “pressure of the sector on the areas concerned” while little regard is paid to the “effectiveness of local management measures in helping maintain healthy stocks and marine environments”.
It continues: “Strong and specific concerns were raised on the socio-economic impact of the extent of fisheries management proposals for the Sound of Barra, for which only one option is proposed, and which is presented as being necessary to introduce, regardless of consultation feedback.
“Members were clear that they did not agree with this proposal and highlighted that the site had been operating very successfully with local management and seasonal closures in place. Members also queried the information used to come to this decision and the importance of socio-economic impacts having as great a weight as environmental impact”.
While acknowledging that the Marine Directorate has allowed “early insight” into what is being considered, the report states: “The initial consensus is that there will indeed be a negative impact on the local fleet, processing sector and the wider economy through the introduction of these measures.
“There are also concerns that the proposals are primarily driven by a need to meet legislative targets by the Scottish Government, rather than reflecting the reality of the pressures and risks in the marine environment around the Western Isles”.
The consultation period is intended to last from November until March of next year, making it unlikely that anything will happen to take forward its conclusions in advance of the Holyrood elections to be held in May.
Having previously been forced to abandon their proposals for HPMAs in the face of political and community opposition, it is unlikely SNP Ministers will wish their latest proposals to become an election issue in west coast constituencies and particularly the Western Isles.