On 10 December, LINK’s Marine Group launched an ocean recovery plan for Scotland.
Scotland’s seas are one of our greatest assets, with an area six times larger than its land and shores that make up an astonishing 10% of Europe’s coastline. Maritime heritage is key to Scotland’s cultural identity and has played an important role in shaping our communities, particularly those on its 90+ inhabited islands. But despite their significance, climate change, unsustainable fishing, industrial development and pollution has caused widespread degradation across marine ecosystems.
Although human activity is putting the ocean under immense pressure, we do have a window of opportunity to save our seas from their spiral of decline. With a paradigm shift in management and resource use, we can secure healthy and productive marine ecosystems that deliver for the environment, society and economy.
This plan has 4 key asks:
- Create legally binding targets for ocean recovery
- Strengthen the MPA network for ocean recovery
- Reform fisheries for resilience
- Invest for our future
Printable version here
Full version below.