Scotland is given more control over the seas

Responsibility for conservation areas

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SCOTLAND has been given greater responsibility for looking after territorial waters, it was announced yesterday.

The UK Government has agreed that planning and nature conservation will come under the auspices of the Scottish Government. It follows an agreement between London and Edinburgh that planned marine bills from both administrations should be joined up. The Scottish Government has been given the authority to designate marine conservation sites and to control wave and tidal power developments out to 200 nautical miles, the equivalent of just over 230 regular miles. Ministers said it would allow joined-up planning for renewable energy developments, and fishing and marine conservation.

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said it was excellent news for Scotland and Scotland’s economy. “Our seas offer us vast amounts of wave, tidal and offshore wind-power potential and many communities on the coast depend on fishing and fish-farming, which together account for 60% of all our food exports,” he said.

“We will now have the ability to manage these activities as a whole in all the waters around Scotland, not just the inshore.”

Yesterday’s announcement was warmly welcomed by fishing groups.

Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong said: “For Scotland, this aligns the responsibility for specific practical matters of marine nature conservation with that for fisheries management, which was always out to 200 miles.”

John Rutherford, chief executive for Seafish, the authority on seafood, said it was a positive step that would ensure the UK and Scottish marine bills worked in harmony for the interests of the industry.