Skip to main content

Protection of Loch Carron Living Reef

Loch Carron flame shell beds have been designate as a Marine Protected Area (MPA). The endangered seabed habitat off the north west coast has been designated an MPA by the Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham.



The protection has been enforced following an investigation by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Government into claims that the vulnerable habitat had been damaged by scallop dredging. The inquiry confirmed the claims, and identified a viable plan for recovery.

 To manage fishing activity, an urgent Marine Conservation Order will be out in place to prevent mobile gear fisheries in the area for one year.

Ms Cunningham, said: "We take our duty to protect Scotland's rich marine environment extremely seriously and recognize the importance of safeguarding vulnerable habitats like flame shell beds.

"The Scottish Government will now begin work immediately to identify if there are other areas which should be protected."

The protection of ecosystems in this scenic loch is a positive step forward for Scotland's heritage and environmental protection.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Value Of Scottish Fish Catch At Record High

The value of fish landings is at a record high, having increased by 29% to $563 million in 2016, according to the latest statistics published by the Scottish Government. The increase was mainly driven by a 41% increase in the value of landings for pelagic fish like herring and mackerel. Mackerel continues to be the most valuable stock, accounting for £169 million of Scottish landings. Fisheries Secretary, Fergus Ewing, said; "These latest statistics show he value of Scottish catch is at a record high with Scotland's fishing fleet and sea fisheries contributing £563 million in revenue to out economy. "The fishing industry plays a key role in our rural economy. It supports jobs and businesses at sea but also in our coastal communities, and contributes significantly to Scotland's world class food and drink success story."

The Slow Climb To Living Wage

Gorgie City Farm has become the 800th Scottish-based living wage accredited employer, with employees benefiting from fair work principles which the Scottish Government would like become a national standard. The Scottish Government has set a target of reaching 1,000 Scottish-based living wage accredited employers by this autumn. Cabinet Secretary of Fair Work, Keith Brown, said: "This is a significant step in our drive to promote fairer working environments for Scottish employees and ensures people's basic wage continues to meet the reel cost of living. "Paying the Real Living Wage makes sense for businesses. It's an investment in people and all the evdience shows it leads to increased productivity and reduced staff absence, while sending a strong signal to customers about fairness. "We will continue to work with the 'Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative' to encourage more businesses to recognise the benefits of paying the real living ...

Bad Education The Result of Bad Education?

Student teachers are receiving different training at universities, highlights a new Scottish Government report. Literacy has taken the biggest blow, with the analysis of initial teacher education (ITE) courses highlighting major variations in the time spent on key components of the curriculum, with the widest variation in the crucial area of literacy. With literacy at low levels in Scotland this is a serious blow to the education system in Scotland. Mr Swinney, said: "It is essential all teacher education programmes are of the highest quality. They must deliver appropriate content for literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, as well as data literacy and equality, across both the primary and secondary sectors. "I am very concerned by the wide variations identified in this report, which have also been highlighted in evidence submitted to the Education and Skills Committee on workforce planning." The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) are responsi...