Scotland’s iconic marine species and habitats will be better protected following the designation of 30 Marine Protected Areas.
Sites will protect a range of habitats and species including flameshell beds, feather stars, the common skate and ocean quahog, a large mollusc which can live for centuries. They will also protect sandeels – a small fish that many seabirds and marine mammals depend on for food – and black guillemot, a species of seabird found in Scotland’s seas that has striking black and white plumage and bright red feet. One of the sites – the North East Faroe Shetland Channel – is estimated to be the largest Marine Protected Area in the EU.
Scotland’s seas are the fourth largest in the EU and support many habitats and species including cold water coral reefs, 22 individual species of whales and dolphins and almost half of the European Union’s breeding seabirds. The Marine Protected Area (MPA) network in Scotland’s seas is designed to conserve a selection of marine species and habitats and offer long-term support for the services our seas provide to society.
Ministers have also announced they are considering 14 new areas to protect sea birds and a further 4 locations to protect basking shark and species of whale and dolphin. These areas have been identified by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) through a programme of research and survey. Ministers will consider this advice in detail and hold another consultation in due course.
Scottish Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
“Scotland’s seas are fundamental to our way of life. Environmentally, they are hugely significant in European and global terms. They are a vast and vital natural resource which also provide energy, food and recreation. These MPAs will help protect and enhance our marine environment so that it remains a prized asset for future generations.
“Our waters support a huge diversity of marine life and habitats, with around 6,500 species of plants and animals and are among the richest in Europe for marine mammals. Many of these sites will provide protections for our seabirds like the black guillemot and sandeels which provide a vital food source. It is our duty to protect these species and habitats for the present as well as the future.”