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Call for extended marine powers | Call for extended marine powers |
(1 day later) | |
Powers to manage the seas around Scotland up to 200 miles out from the coast should be transferred to Holyrood, according to a new report. | Powers to manage the seas around Scotland up to 200 miles out from the coast should be transferred to Holyrood, according to a new report. |
An advisory group to the Scottish Executive has put forward plans to create a Scottish Marine Management Organisation. | An advisory group to the Scottish Executive has put forward plans to create a Scottish Marine Management Organisation. |
It wants the body to have additional planning powers and more responsibility for fisheries and nature conservation. | It wants the body to have additional planning powers and more responsibility for fisheries and nature conservation. |
The current devolved/reserved mix for marine management is very complex. | The current devolved/reserved mix for marine management is very complex. |
Holyrood has full competence for all activities in the coastal and marine environments, up to 12 nautical miles from shore. | |
It also has responsibility for fisheries management up to 200 nautical miles from the coastline. | |
Report welcomed | |
However, shipping and oil and gas issues are largely reserved. | However, shipping and oil and gas issues are largely reserved. |
The proposed strategy would see the new body managing a much bigger area and dealing with interests as diverse as commercial fisheries and tourism. | |
It also suggests a process to better co-ordinate both land and sea-based coastal activities and ways to improve marine nature conservation. | |
Environment Minister Ross Finnie said: "I want to ensure the long-term sustainability of Scotland's marine environment, which supports a huge variety of economic activity. | |
"I welcome the report which is a significant contribution to our thinking on managing the marine environment." | |
The advisory group was made up of about 25 members with an interest in Scotland's coasts and seas, including fishing, industry and environmental groups. | |
Lloyd Austin, head of policy at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Scotland, welcomed the group's recommendations. | |
"Scotland has truly picked up the pace in securing proper protection for our seas," he said. |
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