Scotland's Marine Protection Failure: Bottom Trawling Continues in Protected Waters
In Scotland, the destructive fishing practice of bottom trawling continues to devastate marine ecosystems despite official promises of protection, with industrial methods permitted in approximately 95% of coastal waters including within designated Marine Protected Areas.
The Illusion of Protection
While Scotland has designated 37% of its waters as Marine Protected Areas, environmental groups reveal that only a small fraction actually have management measures in place to enforce that protection. This regulatory gap allows bottom trawling and scallop dredging – methods that rake and crush seabed habitats – to continue virtually unchecked across most Scottish coastal waters.
Bally Philp, a fisherman with more than three decades of experience working off Scotland's Isle of Skye, has witnessed this deterioration firsthand. "The inshore archipelagos on the West Coast of Scotland used to be full of fish," Philp said. "We have no commercial quantities of fish left inshore at all."
Environmental and Carbon Consequences
Bottom trawling represents a dual environmental threat, causing both immediate habitat destruction and significant carbon pollution. The method burns nearly three times more fuel than other fishing techniques while simultaneously disturbing seabed sediments and releasing stored carbon into the ocean. Furthermore, bottom trawlers often discard substantial portions of their catch back into the sea, with survival rates for discarded marine life typically remaining very low.
Marine biologist Caitlin Turner explains the cascading ecosystem effects: "If you degrade the habitat, then there's less places for juvenile fish to live and spawn in. This affects the abundance of the animals in the area. It trickles upward – you'll have less of the bigger animals that feed on the prey animals."
Historical Context and Current Reality
The current situation traces back to 1984 when Scotland repealed a longstanding three-mile ban on bottom trawling around much of its coastline. Since that decision, fish landings in areas such as the Clyde have plummeted dramatically, with catches of many species now representing only a tiny fraction of their historical levels.
Philp began his fishing career working on trawlers in the late 1980s, witnessing firsthand the devastating bycatch practices. "You would see a stream of dead fish flowing off the back of the boat," he recalled. "It's a heartbreaking thing to see." This experience led him to switch to baited traps – a method causing minimal habitat damage that allows most unwanted catch to survive when returned to the sea.
Broader European Context
The problem extends far beyond Scottish waters. A 2024 report from the Marine Conservation Society and Oceana found that 90% of protected marine sites across seven European countries experienced bottom trawling between 2015 and 2023. Vessels logged an astonishing 4.4 million bottom trawling hours in protected waters across nations including the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Spain.
Economic and Social Impacts
The environmental damage has created significant economic consequences, particularly for Scotland's tourism industry. Visitors to destinations like the Isle of Skye typically find fish and chips on menus that are imported rather than locally sourced. According to the World Wildlife Fund, more than 80% of seafood eaten in the UK in 2019 was fished or farmed outside UK waters.
Miles Craven, executive chef at Wickman Hotels on the Isle of Skye, confirmed the growing challenge: "There is a huge demand from tourists and it is difficult to meet these demands. I have noticed it get incrementally harder in the last eight years."
Traditional Livelihoods Under Threat
Scallop diver Alasdair Hughson represents another traditional fishing practice struggling to survive. He now spends four days a week at sea, traveling far from his home in Dingwall and his two children because nearby coastal areas have become too degraded to support his work.
"If there was no need to increase the size of vessels and move about and become more nomadic, we would have just stayed the way we were, because why wouldn't you?" Hughson said. "By the time I started diving, stocks had declined. It wasn't regenerating because scallop dredging had altered the habitat to such an extent."
Financial Benefits of Protection
A 2023 Marine Conservation Society analysis revealed that banning bottom trawling in UK offshore protected areas could deliver a net benefit of up to 3.5 billion pounds over 20 years. This calculation accounts for increased carbon storage, pollution removal, nutrient cycling and recreation opportunities that would result from proper marine protection.
Government Response and Delays
The Scottish government had indicated it would launch a consultation on fisheries management measures for coastal protected areas in late 2025, but in December officials announced the consultation would be delayed at least six months. Officials cited upcoming parliamentary elections and late delivery by external contractors for the postponement.
A Scottish Government spokesperson stated that 13% of inshore protected areas are currently closed to certain types of bottom trawling and scallop dredging, with additional measures expected in coming years that would allow Scotland to exceed the 30% protection target by 2030.
Restoration Efforts and Future Prospects
Scientists and community groups are already working in the field designing restoration approaches, including efforts to restore sea grass and oyster populations. However, conservationists argue these measures won't be sufficient without reinstating a coastal limit that protects at least 30% of Scotland's inshore seas – part of the international target to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.
For traditional fishermen like Bally Philp, who comes from three generations of fishers, the timeline means more years of waiting for Marine Protected Areas that were designated a decade ago and still lack proper enforcement. He has taught his two sons how to fish but discourages them from making it a career.
"We're at the arse end of something that was once really good," Philp said. "Unless we can turn that around, why would anyone want their kids to do this?" He added with determination: "I know we can fix this. I despair at the fact that we're being so slow to fix this."
