Question reference: S6W-00599
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 10 June 2021
-
Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 17 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers fishing for sandeels in Scottish waters to be compatible with the protection of seabird populations, and with achieving Good Environmental Status.
Answer
Due to their importance in North Sea food webs, sandeel abundance should be maintained high enough to provide food for predators. The initial assessment of Good Environmental Status for seabirds found evidence of the impacts of sandeel fishing in the 1990s when a fishery took place close to the Scottish east coast. It is for that reason that the Scottish Government has supported measures to protect sandeels in areas important to foraging seabirds including the Northeast UK closed area, which was established in 2000 and excludes sandeel fishing out from our east coast to 1°W. This closed area encompasses much of the foraging range of local sandeel reliant seabirds during their breeding season. The Scottish Government also undertakes research into seabird-sandeel interactions in order to better understand how we can help seabird populations reach a favourable condition.