Question reference: S5W-35914
- Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 10 March 2021
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Current status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 17 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research it is undertaking into the vulnerability to disturbance by bottom-contacting fishing gears of carbon stored in 'hotspots' in inshore water.
Answer
The Scottish Blue Carbon Forum, a partnership between Scottish Government and academia, is currently conducting a multi-year research programme to further investigate blue carbon habitats, their role in carbon uptake and their vulnerabilities to human activities. The potential impact of the disturbance by bottom-contacting fishing gears on blue carbon habitats forms part of one of the research projects within the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum: ‘Assessing the resilience of Scotland’s Blue Carbon Sediment Stores’. Initial results are expected in the near future.