Social Impacts Research for Marine Protected Areas and Priority Marine Features Management in Scottish Waters

4 Locations summary

This section presents a summary of the views expressed by participants in the workshops, drop-in sessions, and the survey, for each location. In the following section (Section 5), the analysis is presented by theme, and is substantially more detailed, with results also presented by location. The purpose of this section, Section 4, is to present a high-level overview of findings for each location.

4.1 Peterhead

In Peterhead, participants pointed out that the fishing industry is a major local employer, estimating that for every person at sea, there are four more people working on land in jobs connected to the fishing industry. With the decline of the oil and gas industries, there has been a loss of jobs in the town and fear that the same could happen with fishing. Participants said that the fishing fleet had “declined massively”, with small 5-10 metre boats unable to compete with companies with large boats. Other reasons given for people leaving fishing were the cost of licenses and increasing restrictions. Two participants said that 99% of their catch came from within the areas where fisheries management measures could be proposed. Some participants considered that independent fishing boats provide more benefit to the local community than large fishing companies; local fishers spend their incomes on local goods and services and pass on skills to the community. Tourism was not seen as an alternative to the fishing industry as participants noted that Peterhead has very few tourists and poor transport connectivity. In terms of environmental impacts, some participants argued that bottom trawling is not damaging, and that it might have beneficial effects by turning over the seabed. Fishing was seen as more than a livelihood. Even those who favoured moving away from the practice of bottom-trawling, were keen to maintain the heritage of the fishing industry.

4.2 Lerwick

Participants in Lerwick gave a generally positive description of business activity. They mentioned a range of industries offering a variety of employment opportunities. The local character was described as one of entrepreneurship and innovation, with a high proportion of businesses in local ownership and people working multiple jobs. Participants emphasised the economic importance of fishing, with the seafood sector comprising approximately 40% of the local economy. Many felt that the competition from foreign fleets represented a threat to the fishing industry. Participants associated fishing with a sense of independence, freedom and self-sufficiency, all values they felt were part of the culture of Lerwick itself. In terms of environmental issues, many participants were members of or referred to the role of the Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation (SSMO)^[31] in regulating the shellfish fleet to protect shellfish stocks. They felt that local regulation, based on local knowledge, was more effective than national decision-making. Many participants predicted that the potential measures would result in fishers leaving the island, a sharp fall in the value of boats and the loss of “all we’ve worked for”. The greatest impact would be on scallop fishers and other small boats, as the MPA areas are some of the only areas where they can fish. The potential measures were also expected to have knock-on impacts on other industries such as marine electronics, fabrication, and net mending. Some participants did say that trawling and dredging were “not maximising” economic output from fishing, and that the protection of nursery grounds would be positive for the wider fishing community.

4.3 Troon

Participants in Troon reported a long-term historical decline in fishing activities throughout the Clyde area over about 20 years, reflected in a drop in membership of the Clyde Fishermen’s Association^[32]. The decline was attributed to a combination of an ageing fleet, marine protection measures, closures of fishing grounds, Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. Troon has already experienced some of the effects of the introduction of the South Arran Marine Conservation Order in 2016: some participants said that the measures had led to displacement of creelers to other areas causing increased pressure on stocks and the closure of businesses providing services to the fishing industry, which had impacts beyond those fishers directly affected. Troon was considered to be an affluent community, but one that has some less affluent areas and problems of lack of employment for young people. There was some debate about the continued importance of a fishing culture in the town, although the cultural heritage of fishing was widely recognised with examples of local stories, songs, poetry and artworks. It was suggested that there should be a museum to celebrate that cultural history. In terms of environmental management, several participants said that technology could be used to reduce the negative environmental impacts of fishing industry. Participants generally felt that the potential fisheries management measures would have a negative impact on fishing, forcing more fishers to move into creeling, at the expense of the existing creelers, and meaning that fishers would have to range further out to sea, incurring higher fuel costs and more dangerous seas in poor weather.

4.4 Oban

The scallop industry was considered very important for the economy of Oban and the surrounding area. The fishing industry was also seen as supporting the wider economy, especially hospitality: people visit Oban for its seafood. The tourism industry is associated with low-paid and low-skilled, seasonal employment and participants felt that Oban needs high quality jobs that are sustainable in the long term. Participants suggested that there had been a decline in the fishing industry, with a lack of access to bank loans and a lack of government support. The heritage of the fishing industry was seen as a foundation for local wellbeing: Oban is closely tied into island communities and cultures. In terms of environmental management, local fishers said that limiting commercial fishing in areas with abundant scallop populations would lead to an increase in predatory species like starfish and possibly to the collapse of prawn stocks. These participants were also concerned that the suggested measures would lead to the loss of good fishing grounds, for local boats coming out of Oban, Mallaig, Eigg and Muck, potentially leading to economic losses, the loss of boats and knock on effects of depopulation, not just in Oban but across the area. This could be associated with a loss of specialist skills and the need to travel longer distances out to sea, incurring higher fuel costs and more dangerous seas in poor weather. Other participants who were not fishers identified potential positive impacts of further measures, specifically the recovery of marine biodiversity, as well as “spin-off” effects in terms of increasing public awareness of marine ecosystems.

4.5 Ullapool

Participants noted that a general decline in fishing across coastal areas was reflected locally in job losses and the closure of pubs, schools and shops. The economy is fragile and fishing is an important economic activity. Other local economic activities were identified as tourism and fish farming. Aquaculture was seen by some participants as “an integral part of the economic future” because of the year-round employment it creates, although others said that fish farms tend not to employ local people and that the benefits of aquaculture are outweighed by the environmental damage it causes, including the use of chemicals to control sea lice and eutrophication. Two participants lamented the decline in the crofting culture: the mix of crofting and part-time fishing were seen as vital for the production of local food and the traditional ability to “live off the land”. Nevertheless, the traditions of music and community gatherings do continue. In terms of the environment, several non-fisher participants felt that measures were needed to halt marine biodiversity and fishery “collapse”. Among the measures they suggested were increasing the number of protected marine features, decommissioning all trawlers and giving “preferential access” for “low impact fishing”. Some participants said that creelers as well as line fishers could benefit from the measures. Fisher participants expressed concern that the potential measures would lead to a further decline in the local fishing industry, impacting on the local community and culture, with a loss of heritage and the traditional way of life.

4.6 Western Isles (Stornoway and Barra)

For many participants in Stornoway and Barra, fishing was seen as the mainstay or backbone of the local economy and community. They noted that when fishers go out of business, it has knock-on effects, as fishers often have several jobs and provide critical skills and infrastructure. Some examples from Barra were the role of fishers in providing the lifeboat service and in bringing groceries from the mainland for sale in the local shop. Barra’s population was said to be ‘stable’, with participants noting that there are population differences between islands in the western isles, for example South Uist was mentioned as having a declining population and participants in Stornoway commented that young people are moving away. It was also mentioned that crew shortages were experienced due to housing issues. Tourism is more important in Stornoway than Barra, but in both locations, participants commented that the poor ferry service made the future of tourism uncertain. There is a strong sense of local heritage: participants talked about the value of the Gaelic language, and how their culture was “defined” by its language. Gaelic is used by fishers both at work and in their families. In terms of the environment, participants said that the potential measures could mean the end of local fisheries as it would reduce incomes and make it impossible to invest in modernising or maintaining boats. This would likely impact the local fish processing industry and lead to the closure of factories and significant job losses. In Barra, participants said that the measures would reduce the capacity of local fishers to be adaptable, as they would be more reliant on a single fishery. Many participants pointed to conservation measures that the fishing community has implemented locally, including the use of exclusion zones at certain times. Several participants suggested alternative measures such as the implementation of a “depth zone”, allowing for the avoiding of interaction with birds closer to the surface, a weekend ban to allow for areas to recover or seasonal on-off cycle closures.