02 Oct 2024

The Scottish Government has published the Climate change: Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029 The plan sets out a comprehensive suite of more than 200 actions and proposals for managing the current and future impacts of climate change in Scotland. Climate change means Scotland will experience more extreme weather. Flooding, water scarcity and hot weather can […]

24 Sep 2024

Plans to extend Scotland’s marine planning zones have been put out to public consultation for a total of 12 weeks. Extending local authority responsibilities Fish and shellfish farms require planning permission out to twelve nautical miles, however local authority responsibilities for planning controls currently only extend to three nautical miles. Under new proposals, the marine […]

17 Sep 2024

A trial on electrofishing for razor clams, launched in February 2018, is delivering promising results as it continues through January 2025. Led by the Science, Evidence, Data and Digital portfolio of the Marine Directorate, the trial aims to gather local level data on razor clam populations, assess sustainable harvesting methods, and evaluate the impact of […]

12 Sep 2024

Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) has published a new report which finds that action needs to be taken to improve monitoring, regulatory guidance and the operation of storm overflows in Scotland. The report ‘Storm overflows: an assessment of spills, their impact on the water environment and the effectiveness of legislation and policy’ sets out that: there […]

10 Sep 2024

Marine conservation and education charity, the Scottish Seabird Centre, based in East Lothian, was thrilled to receive a grant of £249,685 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund earlier this year. The funding has been awarded to improve the overall sustainability of the Charity’s operations, develop partnerships with business and to better steward and grow its […]

03 Sep 2024

The Scottish Government’s decision to redirect £5 million from its Nature Restoration Fund to settle local government pay disputes has triggered widespread concern, especially within rural and environmental sectors. This fund, designed to combat climate change and biodiversity loss through conservation projects, has been vital for numerous initiatives across Scotland, such as saving rainforests, protecting […]

20 Aug 2024

The Scottish government has proposed new fisheries management measures for 20 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Scotland’s offshore waters to enhance the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems. The proposed measures include either zoned or full restrictions on the use of specified fishing equipment, such as demersal mobile and static gear, at 15 of these […]

23 Jul 2024

Since 2023, the Our Seas Coalition has been collating testimonies from across Scotland of people’s first-hand experiences and local knowledge of Scotland’s inshore Seas ahead of its touring “Coastal Testimonies” exhibition. The exhibition involved gathering testimonies and portrait photographs from individuals from around Scotland including commercial fishers, skippers, sea anglers, politicians, naturalists, scientists, local businesses, […]