This letter was written by Chair of Marinet David Levy in response to the article in the Guardian newspaper 'British seas: More fish, cleaner and greater biodiversity,' says Defra and DEFRA's press release accompanying the publication of 'Charting Progress 2 - The Scientific Report by DEFRA on the State of UK Territorial Seas'

Under the watchful gaze of Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Christopher Wren, DEFRA used the auspicious venue of the Royal Society to deliver Charting Progress 2 (CP2), their scientific report on the State of UK Territorial Seas. It was a venue chosen to deliver two things of note. Firstly that this report has scientific validity and is fit for purpose, and secondly that you would be intimidated to find fault with its contents.

Rescuing Ballan Wrasses and encountering gully-dwelling squat lobsters has fuelled COAST diver Claire Youdale’s passion for documenting the diversity of Lamlash Bay. Below is her account of Seasearch survey training at the Marine Quest facilities in Eyemouth.

I recently journeyed to Eyemouth on the East Coast of Scotland,  to take part in a Seasearch Surveyor Course organised and run by Carrie Pillow and Paula Lightfoot of Seasearch North East and Calum Duncan of the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).

Seasearch is a project for volunteer sport divers to take records of the marine animals and habitats they see, to build of an underwater map of the types of seabed around the UK. This data helps to recognise the richest areas for marine life, sites that need protection and any areas where there are problems, areas like Lamlash Bay with its maerl beds.

C.O.A.S.T.'s vice-chair Sally Campbell looks behind MSC-accreditation and explores some of the emerging
problems with our new hunger for ‘sustainable’ labelling.

We have all seen the signs in big supermarkets proclaiming their products are “RSPCA FREEDOM FOOD.”
The blue label of the Marine Stewardship Council is also gaining common currency. These eco-labels are a
selling point for retailers, appealing to the consciences of food shoppers.

But what happens when we peel away the eco-label and examine the ‘food’ inside the packet in more detail?
The supermarket Morrison’s proudly announces that all of its fish “are 100% sustainable,” but what does this mean
exactly?
Among the fish stocked in Morrison stores is Cape Hake from a fishery that has just been re-certified even though it is
in a collapsed state.

It underlines a real concern that many of the MSC eco-certified fish are not necessarily from sustainable ecosystems.
Certifiers are accredited by Accreditation Services International GmbH (ASI) to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Accreditation requirements. Companies such as Moody Marine Ltd and MRAG Americas, Inc can certify that fisheries
meet the MSC environmental standard for sustainable fishing and these organisations duly undertake a programmed
check on those fisheries wishing to have the Blue Label from MSC.  It was following such a review by a these external
organisations that the Cape Hake was re-certified, and the collapsed state of the fishery was even pointed out by the
independent reviewer of the certification.

Nevertheless, since August 2009 there have been over 100 fisheries undergoing certification to MSC standards.
So many that it makes me wonder what on earth is going on? Sadly, I realise this is market driven now, rather than
a total concern for our marine environment. Many of these fisheries are in collapsing ecosystems, something which
the MSC does not appear to take properly into account. Marine ecosystems are complex and the fishing of one
specieshas an impact all the way along the food chain. If we harvest Antarctic krill (euphausiids) to supply the
nutraceutical andaquaculture industries, then as sure as eggs are eggs this will in time affect the rest of the
ecosystem, which includes iconic species as baleen whales, seals, rays and Antarctic sea birds.

This would in my mind put such species out of any certification, but in a depressing and short-sighted decision by an
Independent Adjudicator, Aker Biomarine’s application for MSC certification of the Antarctic krill fishery was
recently accredited.
(So next time you see the MSC label on omega-3 pills in your local health food shop, think of Antarctica...)

So how did this come about? The Marine Stewardship Council was founded in 1997 and is an independent
non-profit making organisation with a mission to “reward sustainable fishing practices” with 3 principles to consider:

1. The condition of the fish stock
2. The impact of the fishery on the marine ecosystem
3. The fishery management system

However, it is widely now reported that it is losing its lustre and that the companies running the checks are too close
to MSC. The process has become a lucrative business in itself. At a recent meeting of scientists and environmentalists
there was anger over the certification of Canadian Fraser river sockeye salmon, whose population is in freefall.
There is concern that in the end supermarkets are demanding an eco-label, so it is now power politics that are
pushing these brands, be it MSC’s blue label or Freedom Food.

The issue is of burning relevance to our local waters. In Scotland there has long been concern over bottom trawling
for prawns - it decimates the bottom living ecosystem, destroying the early food of white fish, and rare sea pens and
even endangered firework anemones. Research in the Clyde estuary in a 10 month period in 2007 also showed that
the bycatch in turn is extremely destructive of juvenile fish. In total over 31 million dead juvenile fish were found in the
bycatch with an average weight of 63 grams. Yet prawn trawling in NW Scotland has received MSC certification and
the Clyde Fishermen’s Association is pressing for the MSC Blue Label for their mobile prawn trawlers.
This is madness when the damage done by the trawling methods is well-documented. One of the reasons the Clyde
is so depleted of white fish, and known as the Newfoundland of Scotland, is the destructive mobile trawling methods.

Improved animal husbandry is an excellent idea, and the RSPCA Freedom Food label is aimed to do just that. When it
comes to the marine environment, especially aquaculture, it becomes more problematic. True, the stocking density is
less but the label is not really concerned with the effects on the marine environment, and hence the wider ecosystem.
With land based animals there is clear pollution control in place - not so for fish farms which dump waste food, faeces,
and disease-reducing chemicals into the water without any controls.

The following data was obtained under FOI from SEPA’s Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory. It shows that in 2008
the following were used or released at St Molios fish farm of Lighthouse Caledonia Ltd in Lamlash Bay:
151,700g SLICE (chemical to kill sea lice an ectoparasite on salmon)
1858.56 Kg of copper for nets (active ingredient copper oxide)
38660.18kg Nitrogen
5338.79 kg of Phosphorus
124034 .733kg of TOC (total organic carbon)
109.1536 kg of Zinc
5.216056 kg of copper loss via feed

Soon they, although under a new company name The Scottish Salmon Company Ltd (SCC), based in Jersey,
are aiming to be Freedom Food Certified at St Molios Fish Farm. The fish may have better husbandry but the
marine ecosystem and environment won’t necessarily have been considered at all! Remember that when you
choose the more expensive Freedom Food fish...

Anyone interested in ecosystems is equally interested in any valid process to improve fisheries and the environment.
But the processes need to be above reproach. They need to cover not just a single fishery, but the marine
environment and the ecosystem of which the fishery is a part. Otherwise the credibility is soon lost and shoppers
will become as disillusioned with certification as they are with politics in 2010.

Will the members of the Scottish Parliament make the correct decisions when voting on amendments to the Scottish marine bill on February the 4th or will they like past politicians vote for short term measures and short term profits for fishing and aquaculture? Will they for once vote for the long term sustainability of the marine environment that will herald the beginning of a recovery to Scotland’s seas?

Important amendments have been tabled by our MSP Kenneth Gibson on behalf of COAST, along with many more by Environmental link.
COAST believe like Mark Carter writing this week in For Argyll website, that it is "The last Chance for Scotland's Marine Environment"

http://forargyll.com/2010/01/last-chance-for-scotlands-marine-environment/

Thursday 4th of February sees Stage Three of the Marine (Scotland) Bill. This is where the Bill is debated in
Holyrood. Numerous Non Government Organisations (NGOs) are busy behind the scenes scrutinising the
small print and any amendments and rushing forward any final alterations for the consideration of willing
MSPs for the Thursday’s debate.

As it stands, there are many areas within the Marine Bill left wanting. It has become far from the all
encompassing legislation that will enable real sustainability both for us and the marine environment.
Never has the term; ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ become so pertinent.

Once again Scotland’s commercial sectors, those which hold a vested interest, have influenced Scotland’s
politicians. The next few days are vital, if there is going to be any chance of winning the debate for a healthy
truly sustainable future - our legacy to the next generation.

Fireworks Anemone, Loch Fyne.                    Photo H Wood

Hebridean Partnership made a submission to the Scottish Public Petitions Committee calling for a
‘level playing field’ within consultations and deliberations concerning the Marine legislative process.
The Petition’s Committee passed this request over to the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee,
who stated that they would take the recommendations of the Hebridean Partnership on board; However,
it appears to have been business as usual, large influential fishing organisations and the well funded
salmon aquaculture industry getting the ear.

Two major gaps within the current processes remain:

• The first gap is in the specification of Marine Protected Areas or MPAs as they are known around the world.
  The problems here are that they have different meanings, different implications depending upon location
  and view point. MPAs that really work, both in improving fish stocks and protecting habitats and biodiversity
  are those that include regions of ‘No-Take-Zones’. Currently the Marine (Scotland) Bill is very weak concerning
  what would be better termed Highly Protected Marine Areas.
• The second gap is that of protecting seals. The need for further protection has at last been recognised. Recent headlines
  have suggested that the Marine Bill offers significantly better protection for seals. It’s not hard to better one prosecution
  in 30 years - the actuality that proves how useless the present protection for seals actually is.

Seals will continue to be shot under the new Marine Bill. This will be allowed to continue despite the fact that
Scotland has lost almost one third of its Common Seal population in two years.

The number of Common Seals that remain are around 20,000 for the whole of Scotland’s massive sea region.

Scottish seals will continue to be shot despite evidence given by Professor Thomas of the Scottish Salmon
Producers Organisation, that Common Seals are too small, too slight to damage fin fish farm nets.

With modern technology, we can prevent seals from becoming a major issue: simply locating the salmon farms
away from seal colonies or the routes that seals use from their haul-outs to their feeding grounds. Careful planning,
combined with modern materials, design and upkeep all but eliminate the need to kill. Yet killing remains in this
new piece of legislation. Why?

Brodick Bay

Campaigns - last chance to make a difference

There are two online campaigns that only take a few seconds of your time to add your support. They are the
Scottish Environmental Link and Advocates for Animals.The Scottish Environmental Link

The Scottish Environmental Link  - with its Save Scottish Seas campaign, is an umbrella organisation
consisting of: World Wildlife Fund; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; Marine Conservation Society;
National Trust for Scotland; Scottish Wildlife Trusts; Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust; and Whale and
Dolphin Conservation Trust.

They say: ‘Please make use of our one last chance to change this - when MSPs vote on the issue at the final
debate in the Scottish Parliament in the first week of February (the online form makes this easy).

‘We all want our seas to be healthy and productive, a place where wildlife thrives and which can provide a
sustainable future for our fragile coastal communities. But Scotland’s seas have been over-exploited and
under-protected for decades. We desperately need to help them recover.

‘Now, for the first time ever, we have a chance to improve things, thanks to the Scottish Marine Bill.
Scottish Environment LINK has been campaigning for a Strong Marine (Scotland) Act for a number of
years that delivers:

• Recovery
• Planning
• Protection

Save Scottish Seas.’

Advocates for Animals

Advocates for Animals have been concentrating on the lack of protection for seals. Its campaign is:
Time is running out for Scottish seals.

This campaign says: ‘The fate of seals in Scotland will be decided on Thursday 4th February when
a new Marine Bill will be agreed by the Scottish Parliament.

‘90% of the UK’s globally important seal populations are in Scottish waters.

‘With just a few simple clicks and 2 minutes of your time you can help prevent these beautiful
animals from being shot.

‘Please follow the links and complete the online forms. You’ll sleep better for it. Our kids will thank you for it.’

Article courtesy ForArgyll  & Mark Carter Environment Editor