Marine Bill Campaign

2009 is a landmark year for Scotland’s seas. After many years of over-exploitation and under-protection the Marine (Scotland) Bill provides a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make them healthy and productive again, with abundant wildlife supporting thriving coastal communities. MSPs will be shaping the Marine (Scotland) Bill over November and December, and it will become law early in 2010.

SWT, with other members of Scottish Environment LINK, has been campaigning for several years for a strong Marine (Scotland) Act that delivers:

· Recovery - A duty on Scottish Ministers to improve the health of Scotland’s seas, in line with international commitments.

· Planning - A requirement for plans to include clear objectives, along with policies and programmes to deliver those objectives.

· Protection - A duty on Scottish Ministers to create an ecologically-coherent network of Marine Protected Areas

Thanks to the huge response to our action alert in November, some important amendments have been made to strengthen the Scottish Marine Bill. This will help improve the chances of Scotland’s seas recovering from decades of over-exploitation.

But the biggest and most urgent issue was not addressed: the bill does not deal with improving the health of the sea outside Marine Protected Areas. This leaves most of Scotland’s seas open to continuing exploitation and decline, unable to reverse the fortunes of marine wildlife and coastal communities.

There is one last chance to change this – when MSPs vote on the issue at the final debate in the Scottish Parliament on 4th February.

Please make the most of this vital opportunity – email your MSPs today and ask them to vote in favour of a bill that delivers a real recovery of Scotland’s seas (click on the puffin picture above).

For an in-depth look at the LINK Marine Bill campaign across Scotland see www.savescottishseas.org

To find out more about protecting Scotland's marine treasures read the Finding NIMAs report on Marine Protected Areas, and Recovering Scotland’s Marine Environment launched in October to help make the case for marine recovery.

Read more about our new marine outreach programme, Living with the Sea