The current Covid-19 pandemic is putting fishermen under a tremendous amount of pressure as markets are greatly reduced, or closed down completely. Members of Our Seas coalition are campaigning for change in the way our coastal waters are managed, but we want to see a just transition to sustainable and diverse fisheries. We do not want to see people going out of business – more than ever we need to support our inshore fishermen and measures to promote the resilience of our seas and health of our fisheries.
Check out our Facebook page for ways you can help…
Our Seas need your support
Collapses in fish stocks have hit coastal communities and businesses.
Scallop dredges rake the seabed ever closer to shore, undermining the fight against climate change.
Intensive bottom-trawling has expanded and is suppressing the recovery of fish populations.
But it does not have to be this way.
By investing in the recovery of our seas, we can build a better future for communities, fishermen and the many who rely on a productive, diverse environment.
Now is our chance to change.
We need to take action now to bring our seas, communities and fisheries back from the brink.
Our seas were once protected by a three-mile limit…
It was created following concerns from the fishing industry about the impact of trawling
In 1984 it was removed.
Today bottom-trawling is allowed in 90% of our coastal seas, dredging in 95%
Since then fish stocks have plummeted…
…along with the numbers of active fishermen around our coast.
Fishermen are having to fish harder for less
… as seabed habitats have been reduced to a fraction of their historic extent
Bringing back an inshore limit will help recover habitats and productive, resilient fisheries
We are an alliance of Scottish organisations, businesses, communities and individuals that support a move to sustainable use of our coastal seas.
We are calling for the re-establishment of a modern, coastal limit on bottom-towed fisheries to restrict damaging fishing from the coastal zones of our seas that are most vulnerable.
If implemented fairly, this transition would allow our inshore marine environment to recover. It would provide a nursery for fish populations, sustainable jobs for sustainable fishermen, vibrant seas for coastal tourism and a resilient future for Scotland.
We are calling for:
The return of a modern seaward limit on bottom-towed fishing, via a just transition.
Effective vessel tracking systems for all boats
Preferential allocation of fishing opportunity to vessels with low environmental impact, bringing increased sustainable economic value and employment to communities.
Join #OurSeas
Joining the campaign is easy. Provide your organisation’s logo to display on the website and a statement of support. Just get in touch via the form below.
We are divers. We are fishermen. We are regulars at our local chippy. We are marine tourism businesses. We are nature lovers. We are seafood businesses and restaurants. We are rockpool explorers. We are sea anglers and kayakers…
We are everyone with a stake in #OurSeas.
