Ewan McGregor is calling on the public to sign this petition to help protect Scotland’s seas, lending his voice to Blue Marine Foundation’s Scotland’s Bottom Line campaign as Ministers consider new restrictions on the most destructive fishing methods in inshore marine protected areas.
Ewan’s campaign film asks people to speak up for Scotland’s marine life and support stronger protection for the seabed. Wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan is also backing the campaign, which aims to turn public concern for Scotland’s seas into action before the Scottish Government’s consultation closes on 18 January 2027.
Ewan McGregor, Ambassador of Blue Marine, said: “Scotland’s waters are supposed to be protected by law against overfishing, against bottom trawling, but they’re not. There’s amazing wildlife down here – basking sharks and coral gardens but when Scotland’s sealife gets fished using bottom dredging nets, all life is destroyed. It’s supposed to be protected, so if you want to help protect these Scottish waters in this Parliament, we’ve got a chance to do just that. Please get involved to help protect the sea life and the beautiful marine life that lives here.”
Scotland’s seas have experienced a sharp decline in habitat health and species abundance, alongside a parallel decline in the fishing fleet. The consultation covers 76 existing Marine Protected Areas and 90 proposed new Priority Marine Feature management areas. It will help determine where bottom trawls, dredges and other fishing gear that comes into contact with the seabed can operate in Scotland’s inshore waters.
Blue Marine says the consultation is an opportunity to turn protection on paper into protection at sea. For most sites, the consultation presents two options for managing bottom trawling. Less than ten per cent of the area covered by Scotland’s inshore marine protected areas currently has any protection from bottom-towed fishing gear, leaving ecologically vital habitats at risk.
Joe Richards, Scotland Project Manager at Blue Marine Foundation said: “We’re very grateful to Ewan McGregor for lending his support and encouraging people to take part. Scotland’s seas are one of our most important public assets, and we should all have a say in how they are protected. Healthy seas underpin sustainable fishing and the livelihoods that depend on it. This consultation is our chance to help wildlife and fish stocks recover and leave future generations with seas richer in life and more resilient to climate change. The more people take part in this consultation, even just by telling Ministers they want the best protection possible for our most sensitive marine environments, the harder it will be for politicians to continue to ignore the crisis we face. Don’t just give Ministers your views on this – tell your friends and family to do the same.”
Gordon Buchanan, Ambassador of Blue Marine, highlighted: “You don’t have to travel to the other side of the world to find extraordinary wildlife. We have it right here in Scotland, including beneath the waves. But much of that life is out of sight, and so is the damage being done to it. Protecting these habitats gives wildlife a chance to recover and helps sustain the coastal communities that depend on healthy seas. This consultation is a chance for all of us to speak up for them.”
Clare Brook, CEO of Blue Marine, said: “Scotland has some of the most beautiful and biodiverse seas in the world. They are loved by the people who swim, dive, fish, work and spend time around them, but most of the inshore seabed remains exposed to destructive fishing. This consultation gives us the chance to regenerate Scotland’s waters for the benefit of everyone. We, like many others, will be saying that for some options neither goes far enough, and we will be encouraging Ministers to go further and be more ambitious still. Our marine environments and our inshore economy both deserve better.”
The campaign follows scrutiny from independent watchdog Environmental Standards Scotland, which found that Scottish Ministers had failed to effectively fulfil their legal duties to protect and restore the seafloor. ESS are requiring Ministers to propose effective remedial action by Christmas with a clear timetable for delivery.
Blue Marine is putting special emphasis on how the future protection and recovery of our seas affects future generations. Artwork and messages from schools and youth groups across Scotland were displayed at the Scottish Parliament on 16 September. More than 100 young people came to Parliament to tell MSPs and Ministers why action to protect Scotland’s seas matters to them. Now they have another opportunity to make their voices heard through this consultation, which is open to everyone regardless of age.
The Future Seas exhibition, hosted by Blue Marine and Mark Ruskell MSP, set out their hopes for the marine environment they will inherit.
Ben Lothian, a 13-year-old student from East Neuk Home School Group in Fife, who contributed to the exhibition, said: “Scotland should be setting an example for the rest of the world and leading the way to a future where overfishing and destructive fishing practices are replaced with sustainable fishing, proper protection for MPAs to restore the thriving ecosystems we once had.”
To support stronger protection for Scotland’s seas, take the first step by signing the campaign’s public email action here. The Scottish Government consultation closes on 18 January 2027.
Join Blue Marine and members of the Scottish Environment LINK Marine Group in calling for stronger protection for Scotland’s seas. Sign the campaign’s public email action here before the Scottish Government consultation closes on 18 January 2027.
