Question reference: S6W-06757
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 24 February 2022
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 8 March 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the 2021 report published by NatureScot, as part of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance, Understanding the scale and impacts of marine animal entanglement in the Scottish creel fishery, which identifies concerns about the entanglement rates of minke whales, humpback whales and other protected species, what financial support it will make available to implement new measures to prevent marine animal entanglements in creels.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the threat that bycatch and entanglement in fishing gear can pose to our iconic marine life. We therefore welcome the Scottish Entanglement Alliance project which improves understanding of entanglement of sensitive marine species in Scottish waters, and will consider its findings as we explore what further work may be required in terms of the development and testing of mitigation measures. This aligns with actions within the developing UK Dolphin and Porpoise Conservation Strategy and the Future Fisheries Management Strategy.
The Marine Fund Scotland will shortly set out its priorities for funding 2022-23 and we would encourage exploration of these opportunities by the creel sector.