“Scotland has a long and proud fishing history and has had access to a wide range of marine habitats that provided a wide variety of both fish and other seafood. However, we are all aware that fishing is in crisis caused by overfishing leading to dwindling catches. To try to mitigate these losses fishing has moved to ever more mechanised and damaging ways of fishing. Whilst that provided short-term solutions it is clear that the damage caused to marine habitats is leading to further reductions in catches.
So much of our coastal seas are regularly scraped by dredgers and trawlers looking for scallops and other seafood. This destructive action has destroyed and damaged vast expanses of seabed creating virtual seabed deserts that have only a fraction of the marine life they once supported. The varied marine life that used to support healthy and diverse populations of fish no longer exists, and we have an increasingly impoverished, unhealthy and unproductive marine environment. The catastrophic collapse of the once abundant fish stocks in the Clyde in the 1980s and loss of jobs and income that these fisheries supported is a graphic illustration of the problem.
Changes in our climate is causing levels of CO2 in seawater to rise leading to acidification of the water further damaging and inhibiting the growth of shellfish and other marine life. Coupled with stresses caused by warmer waters it is clear that this is not a sustainable situation. Our fishing industries face an ecological crisis on many fronts. Major change is required to avert the potential total collapse of our fishing industry.
Healthy inshore marine environments not only act as essential nursery areas for young fish and other sea creatures, but the carbon capture by marine animals and plants (such as seaweeds and sea grasses) capture CO2 from the water thereby reducing atmospheric CO2 and help to neutralise the water. The importance of 'blue carbon outcomes' was much discussed at COP25, and will be an important part of COP26. As a seagoing nation we must play our part in including the marine environment in our zero-carbon planning.
The work and research undertaken by Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) in Lamlash, in collaboration with universities and researchers, has shown that with active protection and management our coastal marine environment damaged areas recover to become naturally varied, productive and resilient habitats. This will benefit both our coastal communities and our environment.
With the current focus on the climate change crisis, it is time to press the Scottish government to take the action that it has talked about for so long. The Scottish government has over the years agreed that something needs to be done. It has published reports and had numerous discussions but very little has actually changed. There have been significant vested interests in maintaining the status quo, but the climate, biodiversity and fishing crises are now upon us. The time has come for the Scottish government to take decisive action to proactively manage Scotland's marine environment for the long-term survival of its fisheries, coastal communities and for the hugely positive contribution healthy seas have for the climate.
We in North Ayrshire have announced a climate change emergency. If we are serious about that emergency, we must take a stand for positive action.
I therefore move that North Ayrshire Council agrees that:
- The control of bottom-towed fishing within our inshore coastal waters will enable the damaged seabeds to return to varied, productive and resilient marine habitats, thereby benefiting the environment and the long-term sustainability of fishing,
- The Council asks Scottish Government for provision of support to existing fishing businesses which will enable them to transfer to using low environmental impact methods of fishing, thereby protecting existing fishing jobs and the provision of long-term sustainable employment in our local communities,
and
- That the Chief Executive writes to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands to request that the Scottish Government implements control of bottom-towed fishing in inshore coastal waters and provides the necessary support to existing fishing businesses to enable them to change to low environmental impact and sustainable methods of fishing which directly link to the government’s objectives set out in the “Future Fisheries: management strategy 2020-2030”.
The effect of such action will provide positive benefits for those working in Scotland's coastal communities and make a significant contribution to mitigating climate change.”