Previous habitats survey found no impact from guga harvest

This week, the Gazette asked if “prior to the licensing of the guga harvest on Sula Sgeir in 2025, a Habitat Regulations Appraisal was carried out under the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) Regulations 1994”.

In reply, NatureScot said: “We carried out a Habitat Regulations Appraisal before issuing the 2025 licence. The conclusion was that there would be no adverse impact on the site integrity of Sula Sgeir with a take of 500 birds”.

As reported last week, alarm bells have sounded over a report to the NatureScot board which states that “the hunt is likely to cause a significant effect on Rona and Sula Sgeir Special Protection Area” – apparently pre-judging the outcome of the same appraisal that came to the opposite conclusion last year.

This year, for the first time ever, the question of licensing the expedition has been referred to the full NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage) board. This is a direct consequence of the campaign of harassment waged by opponents and, as NatureScot put it, “the heightened profile of the harvest”.

It is unlikely that grounds will be found for refusing the licence because of the impact on the gannet population of Sula Sgeir.

However, the concern is that the much wider “catch-all” terms of the 1994 regulations could be used to justify a negative outcome.

The report which went to a recent NatureScot board meeting spelt out this option, stating: “Whilst the impact of the proposed hunt on the gannets has been the focus of discussions to date, it is worth noting that there are also wider considerations relating to disturbance and biosecurity that apply to other qualifying species of this SPA.

"These will be included as part of the supporting assessment”.

Formal confirmation that an appraisal of these same “wider considerations” took place last year without finding any obstructions to issuing the licence will make it less credible if NatureScot now claim a critical change of circumstances in the past year.

The report was in the name of NatureScot’s licensing officer, Chris Dailly, who took over the role in November. His further report will go to the NatureScot board when it holds a special meeting to decide the issue on August 3rd.

Meantime the campaign led by an outfit called Protect the Wild has continued with NatureScot officials being harassed by demonstrators when they attended a conference on Biodiversity and Business at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

Delegates arriving for the conference, including Scottish Government ministers and UK business leaders, were met by protesters chanting: "NatureScot, shame, shame! Gannets killed in your name!" as they entered the building.

Although it solicits donations, “Protect the Wild” is not a registered charity but a private limited company with an address in Covent Garden.

Its sole director is Robert Pownall, a 27 year-old who dresses up as a gannet for publicity stunts.