Members' Business: Establishing New No Take Zones - 15 December 2020
item of business is a members business debate on motion 22945 in the name of kenneth gibson on establishing new no take zones this debate will be concluded without any questions being put can ask those members which would be press the request to speak buttons or indicate in the chat function if they're online and i call on kenneth gibson to open the debate mr gibson please thank you presiding officer i'd like to thank snp labour green and independent colleagues for supporting my motion to enable tonight's debate to take place and for colleagues who've stayed behind to listen to it after many delays this afternoon i also wish to thank howard wood and jenny stark from the community of iron seabed trust coast for their excellent briefing on third december the scottish government announced the designation of 12 new special protected areas and for marine protected areas in our seas that 37 of scottish seas will now be covered by the scottish mpa network was welcomed by environmentalists nature scott said the announcement marked significant progress towards scotland's marine conservation ambitions and is a positive step towards a nature rich future why is that important an estimated 3.2 billion people rely on fish for almost a fifth of their protein intake yet according to the un's food agriculture organization 90 of fish stocks worldwide are either fully fished or overfished at biologically unsustainable levels this chronic overfishing has seen a depletion of biodiversity which is internalized to conditions where commercially viable fish cannot thrive the 4th of clyde provides a prime example we're fishing was central to the economy for centuries before the industrial revolution the fourth enjoyed an abundance of species huge herring shoals attracted cod turbine monkfish and sharks to the area fishing boomed in technological advances meant that by the 1940s fishermen were catching over 40 tons at 40 000 tons of herring annually practices became more intensive and more destructive relying increasingly on trolling to remain commercially viable by the early 2000s the firth of clyde was on the verge of becoming a marine desert and the entire ecosystem was in jeopardy with nephrops now the main fishery this decimation of the clay's biodiversity a tragedy in itself was also devastating to scottish fishing jobs are lost boats decommissioned and industry is now a shadow of its former self so mpas are hugely important unfortunately can vary widely in effectiveness and will not alone restore and sustain marine biodiversity the use of high intensity fishing vessels capable of catching hundreds of tonnes of fish a day is not forbidden by mpas while there must of course be a place for sustainable pelagic fishing we must combat biodiversity loss a no-take zone is an area of sea and seabed from which no fish or shellfish can be taken including from the shore area landlash bano take zone was the first community-led marine reserve of its kind in scotland when established in 2008. a modest 2.67 square kilometers it was a result of 13 years of a campaign by coast which i enthused absolutely supported and of course the support of richard lockheed the cabinet sector at the time who delivered landlash bay was an is an excellent location for a no-take zone being home to one of the largest merrell beds in scotland male is an ideal habitat for small species which can easily find food and hide from larger predators however landmash bays is no by no means unique in its ability to benefit from an otaku zone there are marine areas all around scotland are bounding in natural beauty at severe risk of human over exploitation no take zones are by far the most effective type of mpa and increased conservation benefits hugely a study in biodiversity conservation at the university of tasmania found that mpas often fail to reach a full potential due to factors such as illegal harvesting regulations also allow detrimental legal fishing or migration of sea creatures outside boundaries because of inadequate reserve size mps are most effective and well enforced upwards of 100 square kilometers and isolated by deep water or sand and well established which can take years a vital feature for npa success is that they are or contain substantial no take zones where flora and fauna cannot be removed internationally such zones are increasing in number aiding both marine biodiversity and resilience to climate change australia's green zones previously made up just five percent of the great barrier reef mpa but now cover more than a third green zones have improved by diversity and are home to a huge variety of organisms including many rare vulnerable and endangered species since the 1980s coral trout biomass has more than doubled in the trout are larger and more abundant than those in the general use of blue zones evidence falling tropical cyclone hamish which hit the reef in 2009 suggests that large reproductively mature coral trout and green zones are also more resilient to the effects of natural disasters recreational activities such as boating snorkeling and diving are allowed however fishing and coral collecting are entirely prohibited other international examples show the potential of no take zones to restore ecosystems to a more complex and resilient state the palo island's national marine sanctuary which covers eighty percent of palau's national waters will describe this year's u.n ocean conference as one of the world's most ambitious ocean conservation initiatives at four hundred and seventy five thousand and seventy seven square kilometers the fully protected area is six times scotland's entire land mass and nearly a hundred and seventy eight thousand times larger than la mash bays no take zone palo waters hosted more than 1300 species of fish and more than 400 species of hard coral established in 2015 regulations have been phased into combat illegal fishing and as early as 2017 the impact of the no take zone was evident protected waters had twice the number of fish and five times as many predatory fish as those which were not since they're keyed food source for other predators a healthy fish population is an excellent indication of a thriving ecosystem the sanctuary came full into effect on the 1st of january this year palo is a nation of only 18 000 people but with big ambitions the earl of man's ramsay bay was designated the island's first money nature reserve in october 2011 and there are now 10 designated marine reserves around the island accounting for 10.8 percent
of manx waters ramsey bay is around 95 square kilometers divided into zones around half as highly protected with no commercial fishing permitted these are coupled with a fisheries management zone co-managed by the max department of environment food and agriculture and the manx fish producers organization this innovative approach means sustainable fishing can continue around no take zones and the commercial benefits enjoyed responsibly on i've seen firsthand the work done by coast to combat biodiversity loss since lamlash benotique zone was designated monitoring scientists have recorded double the living organisms on the seabed compared to adjacent adjacent fish areas a particular success has been the recovery of commercial species such as scallops and lobsters populations within the no-take zone have increased significantly in size and abundance and a study in february this year found there are nearly four times as many king scallops as in 2010 and the size and number of both adult and juveniles has grown scallops also of significantly increased fertility compared to those outside the notate zone and produces many young scallops as fishing grounds over 20 times larger meanwhile the population of european lobsters is quadruple the 2010 population lobsters are also much larger and more fertile with the potential to produce up to 100 times more eggs and before the no take zone was established these benefits are not only felt in the last bay itself studies show there is evidence of lobster spillover into surrounding areas and just last week a local crew fisherman legally landed a lobster tagged uh within the no take zone in 2018 almost two miles outside it resets demonstrates that coach con coast's conservation efforts have been successful from a social as well as ecological standpoint a poll of over 300 residents and visitors to aaron showed awareness at 95.2 percent an increase of 23.5 in 2011 and support was very high at 97 percent iron residents and businesses consider a research undertaken in landmark bay to be very important economically unsurprising given marine reserves enhance local fisheries and create jobs and new incomes through eco-tourism and our residents are also more optimistic about the health of the local seas compared to the scottish average and the recent national poll carried out mabunini scotland presiding officer new marine mps are very welcome and important in combating biodiversity loss however they do not negate the necessity for further measures lamlash being the international examples i gave show the hugely positive impact no take zones can have on the surrounding environment as well as the potential for sustainable commercial fishing and therefore the scottish government to look very closely at what landlush bay no take zone has achieved and the excellent one work done by coast to see how this success can be replicated with community support and engagement of many other locations in scotland's waters thank you very much mr gibson and i call quality abimish to full by john mcalpine ms beamish please thank you very much presiding officer and thanks go to kenneth gibson for bringing this motion to debate with or without government acknowledgement we are all in the midst of a climate and a nature emergency and it has been my constant concern that the marine environment is neglected from these conversations the international examples are very valuable that kenneth gibson has highlighted landlash bay is indeed a shining example as well of community empowerment and community environmentalism howard wood and coast have my utmost respect and it was inspirational to visit the bay several years ago with howard the visit was a wake-up call for me dean coast video of the seabed regeneration honed my absolute commitment to help the work for a sustainable future for our coastal communities based in the realities of the need to protect and enhance our and as as as we will hear no doubt later in the debate the results of the highest level of marine protection showed dramatic return nature and exploitative when exploitative and extractive activities are removed precious and iconic scottish species like the pretty pink mild beds are able to really thrive and as we heard from gift juvenile fish like cod and white and other small species given protection in the lush seabed it is the very withdrawal of our impact that increased biodiversity abundance and a healthier seabed can develop and this benefits the fishing communities working legally around the no take zones as this abundance spills over and stocks are more at sustainable levels marine wildlife rebounds and the ocean is allowed space and time to recharge which has been denied by the commercial fishing levels in some cases it is senseless not to apply these lessons to broader spatial management of our seas if we want the fishing sector that thrives in sustainability this government is under a legal duty to properly implement mpas with management measures and apply the national marine plan duties the further fisheries decision making and our committee report the eclair committee report on regional marine plans will be out soon and i'm sure the minister will take careful note of that and how vitally important it is that everybody works together all from all the sectors and the communities who are involved as we shape our future for good seeds as open seas pointed out in their briefing the scottish government is failing to meet these duties as proven by a leaked nature scot report that shows vital losses in marine habitat in our seas economic recovery and environmental recovery must go hand in hand coastal communities are in the front line of brexit and the clover 19 implications tackling these along with climate and nature emergencies demands a blue recovery this is a key part of delivering a just transition for all and i want to stress this must be done through consultation has been highlighted by some of the briefings sent to us before this debate completely interconnected is the marine environment's role in climate mitigation no take zones can better protect the blue carbon habitats that sequester carbon emissions and help us meet impending and crucial emissions reductions targets i am very pleased to support kenneth gibson's motion tonight and add scottish labour's voice to the calls for more notetaker zones in scottish waters it's time to give these marine areas back their self-will thank you deputy presiding officer thank you very much mr mission i called you and mcalpine to be followed by peter chapman thank you very much presiding officer and can i start by congratulating kenneth gibson on securing the debate today i was keen to speak because of my personal connection to both womlash and the wider clyde which being europe girl i grew up sailing on and fishing for our family aaron and especially lam lash where you find the no take zone is a place of very special memories because in the 1960s we decamped to a button then there every july at the greenwich fair and one of my very early memories of landmass pier was seeing rows of urchins still with their spines on caught by divers they would then be scraped and buffed up to sail to tourists and i seem to recall a couple of nice lavender examples on my dressing table at that time we had no appreciation of the harm that such activities caused to biodiversity uh the creature inside the shell of the sea urchin was scooped out and discarded and not considered good for anything not even as bait to use to catch addict or fighting in nearby broader bay a summer past time in those days which soon disappeared with the fish as wasteful as diving for sea auctions might have been back in 1966 it was not nearly so destructive as what came next in preparation for today's debate i learned that the government allowed trawlers uh to come closer to scottish shores in 1984 and that explained a lot from me presiding officer because dredging is so described destructive so indiscriminate in its assault on the seabed bashing sea urchins tearing the limbs off starfish and leaving an underwater wasteland i recall far greater biodiversity and the clyde as recently as the 1960s 70s and even early 80s when we fished um in uh in and around intricate when my father kept his boat uh we went out every summer and we predominantly caught cod uh haddock if you were lucky flounder and even the occasional skate there were also sea trout near undercut and until the 1980s my father caught a grey mullet uh then all the fish just seemed to disappear it didn't make a lot of sense to me then because the clyde of course was getting cleaner the only explanation i know now is overfishing and uncontrolled trawling after 1984. now with the success of the no take zone in south south iron we are seeing a way ahead and perhaps a way back to a time when i can still remember the clyde was more fertile and the time before that when as kenneth gibson said in his opening speech the clyde was abundant with herring the town i come from guruk began as a heading port and it's not seen a herring for many a long year the no tech zone was established in response to a campaign by a community of iron seabed trust and designated by the then snp environment minister richard lockwood in 2008 and i was really impressed to read that scientists monitoring the area have recorded a doubling of the living organisms on the seabed compared to adjacent fished areas it's become an important fish nursery area as well for many important species including juvenile cod and i know from a report in the journal frontiers of marine science that found a remarkable turnaround in just a few short years with the number of scallops increasing uh between two and five times and as ken gibson said the number of lobsters not just increasing but growing much larger so in a short time uh we have seen the small no takes on in the south iron uh improve species not just in that small low tech zone but also in adjacent areas because obviously the fish and the crustaceans and don't respect the boundaries and yeah it's only it's the only take zone in scotland which i was surprised to hear just imagine the effect of many more no-take zones right around our coast and not the whole coastline but even a substantial part would make a huge difference the benefits to tourism are already apparent as anyone who tries to book accommodation in la mwash less than a year in advance can testify but but many more no takes ones around scotland would just not benefit just tourism but also sustainable fishing as species are able to spawn and grow in peace because this isn't anti-fishing it's actually about establishing a sustainable fishing industry which would be so beneficial to our coastal communities so in conclusion presiding officer the government is to be congratulated for setting up the no take zone in south ireland in 2008. let's build on that success by creating many more and tackle the nature of emergency that we face alongside the climate emergency and once again i thank kenneth gibson for the debate thank you very much and i call peter chapman to be followed by john finney mr chapman please hi thank you definitely presenting definitely persuading officer and i also welcome the opportunity to speak on behalf of my scottish conservative colleagues on this very important debate uh and also i thank kat gibson for bringing it to the chamber tonight as we've heard the new take zone is defined as an area of sea and seabed from which no fresh or selfish can be taken including from the show earlier and there are currently four such zones in the uk all of which i believe have proved successful i will talk more about their scottish zone but the others in the uk are in the midway estuary uh at flamborough head in north yorkshire and at londy island off devon and our scottish one established in 2008 in in landlash bay has as we've had gone from strength to strength within the past 10 years researchers have found that the size fertility and abundance of commercial species such as lobsters and scallops has significantly increased within the boundaries of the no-take zone indeed i am pleased to note that lobsters are now over four times more abundant in the nordic zone than in the adjacent areas sea bed biodiversity has also increased by 50 percent and the observations from divers and fishermen and anglers indicate that the seabed and the fish are recovering and to quote howard wood the co-founder of the community of rn seabed trust he says without destructive forms of fishing this amazing complex seabed allows more species to inhabit to hide and to feed you can see what happens when nature is allowed to thrive and i was also had to to his list of the inhabit hide and feed the ability to breed and it is important to the recognize that as fish grow older unlike us humans they become more fertile and many species spend more of their energy producing eggs as they grow older and as they grow larger and this is why no take zones can be so vital to help species repopulate the surrounding area now conservationists are conservationists argue that up to a quarter of all uk waters should be or could be no fresh drones now there is no doubt that this would allow stocks of fish such as nursery cod to replenish however i do doubt if this would be if this would go down well with our fishermen fishermen always argue that no matter how many crabs lobster or fish are in the sea if coastal communities cannot make a living from them then that can't be a way forward so like in most arguments it's all about a sensible balance and i do believe i do think that a note takes zones would be beneficial there's no doubt to be beneficial in the long run and it's often it's not often we get a win-win situation but i genuinely think that this that more no no take zone could be good or would be good for the environment but it would also be good for our fishermen so um with the to uh to progress so i think it's it's it's a one balance i would definitely support more notice zones and i would encourage the scottish government to begin to do the work to allow us to progress the principle of more no-take zones but it is important that part of that work is in fact it is essential that part of that work is that we consult with our fishermen and we get their buy-in to the proposals we must take them with us and not tell them what has been decided from on high it is only by getting their support for no take zones that they will be a success so presenting officers i believe that is the way forward let's take a fisherman with us and i think we can have a win-win for all concerned because i know thank you very much thank you very much mr chapman and i call john finney the last speaker in the open debate mr finney please yeah thank you president obama can i join with colleagues in congratulating kenneth gibson in securing this important debate and also congratulate in terms of the motion everyone involved in the success of landlash bay no tape zone and the excellent work carried out by the community of iron seabed thrust coast as it's more commonly known for the protection restoration of the marine environment which will ultimately sustain the livelihood of those dependent on fishing and tourism now you often hear the phrase a sea of opportunity and i agree there's a sea of opportunity awaits but not if we allow the grab everything approach of the reckless elements of our fishing set and it will be the case there will be a state of opportunity if we follow the no take approach so rather it's important we recognize that to have a sustainable industry you must have a sustainable environment for that um industry to work within and i think when we hear of issues like doubling of species then there's confirmation that this approach is right now the scottish um cleo fisherman's association have said that years of overfishing and poor management have meant that future generations will inherit an asset that's a shadowless former self so we must all redouble our efforts making sure that isn't the case and i do wish the scff lovely success in making the case for a judicial review of the scottish government decision affecting a competing interest in the um in our sound of sky because i do agree that it's often perceived as competing interests i think if we all have the common interest of ensuring a vibrant marine environment then i think as other speakers have said we can um take some progress issues and aleister sinclair of the the sccf um it says that pillars and followers are left to sort things out for themselves and part of that is about year conflict and it's not inequality of arms um and it it is uh inconceivable as has been said that the median environment would improve if trawling expanded it against the feeling and of course this has been fed by others ledgers are constructed beyond measure we freely fair to the fact that there are investigations into six incidents of suspected illegal scallop dredging since march 2020 um so the fact that we don't have an initial fisheries bill is disappointing that i do understand that there's a common purpose across the parties and maintenance space what we need is to take some of the maturism out of the discussions about the fishing industry the commercial fishing isn't about winning things it's about international cooperation it's about the precautionary principle then fish don't recognize international boundaries any more than they recognize that the boundaries have no take zones but what of course they do recognize is the fact that the environment is very better for them to flourish in and we've heard some of the important steps around that because what's most important is that any decisions taken are made from an evidence base and supported by robust impact assessments um and then we must see an end to overfishing and and then to discards um and the creation of more will take zones would bring a lot of developments we've heard of the more protected green but in protected areas and we need more monitoring we need more robust policing but we also need to understand the limitations it faces legislation and the evidential thresholds that have to be overcome which affects the number of prosecution successful that there are benches been made about 1984 three mile limit this is about spatial management this is about cooperation this is about things being community-led this is about the benefits of the environment for eco-tourism it is a way of ensuring um aspects of climate breakdown that are addressed in a very positive way i think your seas will flourish if you see now take more no take songs and congratulate the community for all our work in that regard thank you for saying officer thank you very much and now call on paul wheelhouse to close the scottish government minister please thank you presiding officer and i thank kenny gibson for launching his motion was clearly an important issue to the government and many members and their communities such as on aaron and i thank mr gibson and the all colleagues for their contributions today but mr gibson in particular who stated the importance of fish and seafood as a source of nutrition and some of the key findings for monitoring of the notate zone in uh at landlash bay uh but i do thank miner members for their contributions which has shared a range of views really the importance of the main environment for well-being uh members will of course be where this is not my portfolio so i should explain i'm covering a short notice for my colleague the minister for rural affairs and the natural environment who's on compassionate leave well whilst i have very fond memories of my time as minister for environment and climate change i don't have the depth of current knowledge of the issues raised today and so i apologize in advance of uh depending on points i've been raised today i wasn't able to respond to all interventions that members have made in the debate today however we're necessary i'll ensure issues are followed up afterwards through our future fisheries management strategy though we want to ensure that we've we are fishing at sustainable levels and that the right protections are in place for our marine environment underpinned by a robust scientific evidence base which john finney just referenced there in closing and importantly uh the enforcement regime which he also referenced you have already confirmed that where necessary and appropriate additional measures will be introduced for example to protect vulnerable spawning and juvenile fish areas and to promote electronic monitoring for the pelagic and scallop fleets as and that's required for other sectors of the fleet the deployment program has already fitted remote electronic monitoring putting cameras to 30 percent of scottish scallop judge vessels which hopefully will help with the issues that um john mcalpine raised in her discussion around invercip and as part of our wider modernization program 40 crew vessels in the outer hebrides inshore fisheries pilot have also been equipped with low-cost vessel tracking systems for the bulk of my speech i'll outline some of the marine conservation successes of the last 10 years and highlight current work and i'll take a a brief look into the future the establishment of the landlash bay notate zone in 2008 was indeed a groundbreaking decision uh by richard lockheed and following along a persistent campaign by the community of iron and seabed or coast it was a bold and laudable move by richard lockheed when he was cabinet secretary for rural affairs and environment of course they also recognized the continued efforts of coast to work with academic partners most notably university of europe to monitor and assess changes that have occurred over the last 12 years and this has not only produced a substantial evidence base it's also given a lot of students a great opportunity for field work during their studies kenneth gibson referenced one point we said we just referred to when he just described evidence that um there was a marine desert in the area i understand to me scotland uh to take a review of the clyde in 2012 and that concluded it wasn't indeed the marine desert but clearly it did recognize there was a need for some improvement so um it was not as perhaps as bleak has been suggested but certainly room for improvement but we should also not forget the fishing industry as peter chapman reference to your often forgotten component of the success of landlash bay there's been a very high level of compliance over the last 12 years i understand which has obviously helped to create the conditions now being reported on and this serves as a strong reminder of the need to have those who will be directly affected by management measures really involved and engaged in decision-making processes in that respect i very much agree with what peter chapman was saying presiding officer before the covert 19 pandemic took hold 2020 was being termed as a super year for biodiversity with important negotiations for a new global biodiversity framework to take place and the un climate change conference of parties to be held in glasgow and as members are aware these issues have been rolled forward into 2021. john mcalpine made this point but she's absolutely right to say there's clearly a strong link between the natural or nature emergency alongside the climate emergency and therefore those talks in 2021 will be particularly important but 2010 was also a super year for biodiversity that year there were three significant milestones which we we need to remind ourselves of the main scotland act of 2010 received royal ascent creating new domestic powers and duties for marine planning licensing and conservation the ospar convention adopted the northeast atlantic environment strategy and the convention of biological diversity adopted a global framework for biodiversity known as the hp targets these three things have been significant drivers of our work in the last 10 years to improve the marine environment we now have a national marine plan which guides sustainable developments and have established three marine planning partnerships we have a marine licensing system designed to keep activities within environmental limits and we have expanded the mpa network from less than 10 to 37 as kenneth gibson noted earlier in his speech this year alone we've nearly doubled the size of the network including the designation of europe's largest marine protected area and these represent a huge leap forward in a decade and it's something i think we should all be very proud of the rising officer as we uh we appreciate that we haven't fully uh addressed and achieved all the targets from 2010.
yesterday the cabinet secretary for the environment climate change and land reform published a statement of intent on biodiversity and that statement made it clear the current projects to improve the status of biodiversity will continue and be enhanced where possible until a new scottish biodiversity strategy is agreed this is relevant to the marine environment where we are working to deliver fisheries management measures for the mpa network and ensuring the most vulnerable habitats are adequately protected outside the mpa network our progress with these has been slower than originally planned this year due to the response to cover 19 and the impact of eu exit preparations this important work will continue over the next few years and we'll build on the significant stakeholder engagement that has taken place over the last decade the presiding officer this statement of intent also commits to delivering a new storage biodiversity strategy within 12 months of the new global framework being agreed by the convention on biological diversity in 2021 and members will also wish to note that a new ospar north east atlantic environment strategy is also expected in 2021 as well this means that a new course will need to be set for 2030 so we can meet the new international targets that are expected to be agreed next year it's getting that new course consideration can be given to the need for tools such as no take zones which members across the chamber have called for and other forms of strict protection to achieve the outcomes that we desire residing officer i i thank kenny gibson once again for bringing this debate to the chamber been great contributions from colleagues in the debate uh i note that um claudia beam as you mentioned specifically merrell beds i know from my previous role just how important they are and she quite rightly identifies they are beautiful but they also contribute to sequestering carbon dioxide and therefore important to our attempts to to control damaging climate change i also want to thank howard wood and the team at coast for the long-standing efforts to promote conservation of the main environment so late fortunately howard wood global climate action summit in san francisco and it was great to see him influencing a debate an international level there taking the example of what we can achieve in scotland and communities like aaron to a global audience and we've come a long way since 2008 and we should celebrate the progress we've made with conservation of the marine environment and i very much acknowledge that the importance of this debate the journey isn't of course yet complete and we recognize there is much yet still to do but many of our successes have been down to significant amounts of stakeholder engagement and ensuring that the wide range of views and perspectives are taken into account and whilst this does take time it does result in better outcomes so i hope the stakeholders continue to engage in immune conservation issues as they have done over the last decade so the next next decade is just as successful as the last thank you very much presiding officer thank you minister that concludes the debate and i close this meeting of [Music] parliament
2020-12-19 23:02
