On Saturday 8th February 2020, the South Arran Marine Protected Area celebrated its 4th birthday; four years since the legal enforcement of fisheries management measures to help protect various marine features.
The MPA promotes sustainable fishing and we are already seeing the benefits this protection is having on our habitats and species in the waters around the island. That said, with spates of illegal and suspected illegal fishing within Scottish west coast MPA’s – including our own – it is clear that the current enforcement regime needs urgent reform.
We will continue to explore how the legal framework can be better used or reformed in order to achieve enhanced protection of marine ecosystems, and as part of the #OurSeas coalition we seek urgent measures to recover the health of Scotland’s seas.
