Scotland’s new marine protection bill

Windfarms, oil companies, and salmon farms could have to pass restrictive environmental regulations in Scotland, due to a proposed series of marine protection laws that safeguard about 66% of the inshore British waters.

Conservation rules stated in the bill include controlled or banned fishing, limited oil pipelines or their complete evacuation, and less salmon farms along the Scottish inshore areas.

The marine bill was created in response to an article in the Guardian that shows the seal population in the UK is decreasing drastically with half of them dying in the last few years.

The government is also working to pass a bill protecting inshore marine animals from oil companies but Westminster but is less restrictive as it will allow local ministers to lessen restrictions when the area’s industries are affected.

Environmentalists support the Scottish laws as ministers in local municipalities can only override the rule if there are two protected areas that replicate the same habitat for animals and depend on marine fishing and tourism for at least £2.2 billion and 50,000 jobs.

Yet, the Scottish government will not create marine national parks even though they support tougher punishment for those who illegally hunt seal.

Bertie Armstrong, the executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, spoke against the act stating that there are more undiscovered threats for the fishing industry then people may realize.

The new set of laws will influence all inshore waters in Scotland outwards of 12 miles from the shore which is about 60% of the British coastline and includes high fishing areas.

Environmentalists hope the new law will make Scotland and the UK look again at protecting seals and creating the national sea parks.