“However, the evidence suggests that the vessels seen with dredges deployed in Gairloch were larger than 12m and so already required by law to be fitted with tracking devices. “Calls for enhanced vessel tracking are welcome – although the response from Scottish Ministers has been deafening silence,” said Phil Taylor, the group’s head of policy and operations. Open Seas is calling for all scallop dredgers to be fitted with tamper-proof and high definition vessel tracking devices, and the fishing industry has recently backed better tracking. These devices are collectively referred to as “vessel monitoring systems” or VMS. In 2009, Europe-wide control regulations were established so that all fishing vessels greater than 12 metres in length must be equipped with tracking devices to provide location, course and speed. Open Seas also says that vessel monitoring needs to be improved and that the Scottish Government must meet its legal obligations. The group says that illegal dredging is damaging the future of the inshore fishing industry by “destroying nursery grounds for fish and shellfish”. Open Seas claims its footage shows “devastation below the water”, alleging that scallop dredges operating illegally “scraped across the seabed, flattening the habitat”. These inshore waters at Gairloch are a known herring spawning ground and one of the few areas where scallop dredging is banned. Last year damage to a rare reef in Loch Carron in the west Highlands was discovered, leading to an emergency closure of the waters.Ī diver who supports Open Seas, George Brown, shot footage in Gairloch in November following multiple reports the previous month of suspected illegal scallop dredging. In the Firth of Lorn in Argyll, divers filmed broken shells, dislodged boulders and fresh scallop meat in February 2018. Illegal dredging in protected areas has previously been blamed for damaging seabed habitats in the Firth of Lorn and Loch Carron. The group claims that larger boats may be switching off tracking systems to dredge illegally, while small boats without mandatory tracking could also be breaking the law.

Vessel monitoring needs to be improved, it argues.

Open Seas says there is a “systematic problem” with illegal dredging that the Scottish Government needs to urgently address.

Field dredge from small boat