Scotland’s wild frontier coast lands
More than 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water and yet, for many of us, the marine world exists largely unseen and out of mind. Historically, we had a much closer connection with the sea. Human communities were once concentrated around the coast, where the sea lanes supported trade and the rich inshore waters teemed with marine life, providing food and livelihoods for centuries.
Today, these same coastal waters support a fraction of the life they once did but we continue to be reliant on the resources and life-supporting services the ocean provides. The world’s oceans help regulate the global climate and lock away vast quantities of carbon, while oceanic bacteria and plankton are responsible for half of all the photosynthesis that occurs across our – mostly blue – planet.
However, the world’s oceans, so vast and seemingly limitless, have rarely been responsibly treated and their enormous wealth has been plundered, polluted and spoiled. Relentless human exploitation and extraction of what once must have seemed like an endless resource has depleted and degraded our seas, robbing them of their riches and changing them beyond recognition.
Gone are many of the great whales, hunted for their meat and oil. Gone are the once-prolific fish stocks that fed nations. Trashed are the reefs and seagrass meadows that sheltered a mind-boggling array of life. Our seas have been stripped bare, trawled to destruction and now, as climate change bites, have become increasingly starved of oxygen and hostile to life, leaving it hard to imagine the richness of lifeforms they once supported.
Scotland’s coasts used to regularly see blue, humpback, fin, sperm, bottlenose and sei whales. Vast oyster beds once filtered and purified the waters of our east-coast firths, and bountiful shoals of cod, herring and whiting provided coastal communities with a sustainable living, but all this abundance is now hugely diminished through hunting and overfishing on an industrial scale. Over recent decades, as fish stocks have declined, we have dredged our seabed indiscriminately for ever-slimmer returns, leaving a barren wasteland, raked bare of life.
Shockingly, this destruction and unsustainable exploitation has been actively encouraged by successive governments over the past 50 years. Short-term economic decisions have seen the once-productive waters of the west coast reduced to supporting little more than a few shellfish and
salmon farms. And yet, despite this bleak picture, Scotland’s seas could still recover, perhaps more quickly and more completely than our degraded terrestrial habitats. Scottish coastal waters remain linked to the rest of the world’s oceans, providing a route by which our impoverished seas could be restocked and rewilded. Given the opportunity – and the protections needed – the potential still exists for marine life to recolonise our shores, for fish stocks to recover and inshore fisheries to thrive – if we allow them to do so.
On paper our seas appear well protected, with 233 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) established around our coasts. These MPAs were set aside for longterm conservation and cover 37% of our seas, but in reality they are protecting very little. This is because the Scottish government has repeatedly missed deadlines to implement fishing restrictions and management plans within the MPAs.
The government’s own data backs up the urgent need for restrictions on the most damaging forms of fishing, yet these continue in all but a handful of MPAs and, consequently, our marine ecosystems
continue to decline. This is simply not good enough, and if Scotland wants to halt and reverse the decline of our marine biodiversity then delivering an effective network of MPAs is the bare minimum.
As well as supporting a wealth of marine life, our seas are important for locking away carbon which is sequestered in the slow accumulation of marine life that rains down on the seabed. In fact, Scotland’s so-called ‘blue carbon’ habitats sequester three times as much carbon as its forestry does on land, with saltmarshes, sand dunes, seagrasses, kelp beds and reefs all storing large amounts of carbon.
With rising sea levels, flooding, erosion and sea temperature rises, climate change now represents the biggest threat to Scotland’s marine environments. Campaigners believe that urgently restoring blue carbon habitats must be an integral part of the country’s Climate Change Plan to reach Net Zero by 2045.
Helping to meet these targets is a growing body of individuals and community groups that have taken matters into their own hands. The Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) fought for 19 years to establish Scotland’s
first No Take Zone and the seabed of Lamlash Bay, on the island’s east coast, is now free from marine exploitation. Elsewhere, outraged divers in Loch Carron documented the destruction of its flame shell reef, which led to it being safeguarded as a protected area and triggered calls for broader restoration of Scotland’s seabed.
The award-winning charity Seawilding is another shining example of what can be achieved through community-led initiatives, with their supporters having already released 350,000 young oysters into Loch Craignish.
In collaboration with Project Seagrass, they have also planted an incredible 300,000 seagrass seedlings in the same coastal waters, helping to restore badly damaged seagrass meadows, sequester carbon and support more green jobs, as well as mentoring other community projects to follow suit.
Our seas support an incredible array of marine life both above and below the surface, and the presence of apex predators in the form of killer whales is indicative that in places like Shetland we have fully functioning ecosystems – something sadly lost from Scottish terrestrial systems.
Although unsustainable and illegal fishing continues to hamper recovery efforts, we have seen in places like Lamlash Bay, Loch Carron and Loch Craignish that, given the chance and aided by marine rewilding heroes, it is possible for marine habitats to recover. And where there are healthy habitats there will be fish, and with healthy fish stocks, sustainable fisheries can thrive. Meanwhile, more regular sightings of humpback whales in the Minch and the Firth of Forth are already encouraging hope that, if we stop abusing the sea, life can return.
‘Our impoverished seas could be restocked and rewilded.’
Scotland’s seas extend over 462,000 km2, an area approximately six times its land area, with huge potential for rewilding at a scale that could inspire Scotland as a Rewilding Nation.
Kelps are giant algae, more commonly known as seaweed. They grow in complex underwater forests, forming one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth, providing food and shelter for a host of marine species, including commercially important fish and shellfish. Where they grow as dense forests they also protect our coasts from storm damage by reducing wave energy.
Scotland’s cold-water reefs support some of Europe’s most diverse communities of marine life. Here, off the coast of Sutherland, a curled octopus rests next to a common sunstar and the soft coral known as dead man’s fingers.
Established in 2008, the No Take Zone in Lamlash Bay on the island of Arran is home to precious maerl beds, seagrass meadows and kelp forests.
Our changing climate is already affecting coastal sea temperatures, with warmer waters containing less oxygen, supporting fewer fish and, in turn, reducing the abundance of breeding seabirds such as razorbills and the productivity of commercial fisheries. In the Irish Sea, off Scotland’s southwest coast, scientists calculate that each additional degree of warming will reduce sustainable yields of Atlantic cod by more than 50%.
Capable of sequestering carbon 35 times quicker than tropical rainforests, healthy seagrass meadows are an important natural solution for combating climate change.
Marine ecosystems can lock away carbon for thousands of years in the form of calcium carbonate in shells and maerl beds. However, rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations mean more carbon dioxide is being absorbed by our oceans, acidifying the water and making it harder for marine organisms to form and maintain their calcium carbonate shells and skeletons.
Machair, a Gaelic word describing a fertile, low-lying, grassy plain, refers to a unique habitat that only occurs on the exposed west-facing shores of Scotland and Ireland. Machair is formed from lime-rich shell sand washed up over thousands of years and supports wildflowers such as red clover, bird’s-foot trefoil, yarrow and daisies, as well as many species of breeding waders.
Over the centuries, fishing has shifted from fleets of small boats operating sustainably to small numbers of modern-day super-trawlers. Just 19 of these behemoths now scoop up 65% of Scotland’s landed fish, forcing many smaller inshore operators out of business.
After decades of campaigning, the UK’s threatened seabirds have been thrown a lifeline with the UK and Scottish Governments’ decisions to close sandeel fisheries in the English waters of the North Sea and all Scottish waters. This decision has unfortunately been challenged by the EU fisheries commissioner, highlighting the complexity of the UK’s multiple parallel systems of fisheries management, and testing the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The Coul Links network of sand dunes and slack pools hosts a staggering 1,200 species of wildlife – from otters and ospreys to rare plants and fungi. The area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Protected Area (SPA) but is nonetheless threatened by the development of a controversial golf course.
Unusually among mammals, grey seals give birth in the autumn, gathering on secluded beaches like this one on the island of Mingulay.
Globally, grey seals are relatively rare, with around 35% of the global population breeding in colonies around Scotland.
There are an estimated 8,000 otters in Scotland, more than half of which are coast-dwelling individuals. The highest otter densities occur in Shetland, where the cold waters support an abundance of fish and crustaceans that the otters hunt with incredible speed and dexterity using their large muscular tails and webbed feet.
After a 70-year absence, white-tailed eagles were reintroduced to Scotland’s west coast in the 1970s, with young eaglets kindly donated by the Norwegian government. They have since been reintroduced to the Fife coast and are spreading along much of Scotland’s coastline, as well as many inland sites. Theirs is one of the great conservation success stories of recent times and brings hope for a more ecologically restored landscape across Scotland.
At less than two metres long, harbour porpoises are the smallest cetacean found in Scottish waters. Their small size means that they must eat 10% of their body weight each day to keep warm, so they need a constant supply of fish like herring, cod, hake and sardines. In 2016, a Marine Protected Area was established in the Inner Hebrides and the Minches – a hotspot for harbour porpoises – which it is hoped will offer some protection from threats including overfishing and noise pollution.
The Moray Firth is home to the North Sea’s only resident population of bottlenose dolphins. Around 195 of them frequent the firth and these are the biggest bottlenose dolphins in the world, weighing as much as 650kg, their large size is believed to be an adaptation that helps them cope with the chilly waters.
When conditions are favourable, swarming zooplankton draw large numbers of basking sharks and other marine creatures to the seas around Coll in the Inner Hebrides. Swimming with its huge mouth wide open, a basking shark can filter around two million litres of seawater every hour.
There are more than 230 salmon farms operating in Scottish waters, producing an estimated 77 million Atlantic salmon annually. This £1 billion industry supports 2,500 vital jobs along Scotland’s coastline, but the negative impacts of disease, sea lice, high fish mortality, polluting algal blooms and the damaging impact of escapees on the genetics of endangered wild salmon have sparked calls for stricter regulations.
The abundance of Scotland’s marine life attracts visitors from around the world, contributing to a multi-million-pound tourism economy that provides welcome revenue for coastal communities.
As predators, grey seals play an essential role in marine ecosystems and serve as ecological indicators of the health of our seas. High numbers of seals indicate a plentiful supply of fish and a healthy ecosystem.
Weighing as much as 6,000kg and measuring up to 9m in length, orcas are one of the most formidable predators in the world’s oceans. Hunting in pods, they can take on large prey such as whales, but around Shetland – the best place to see them in the UK – they mostly just hunt seals.
Humpback whales are being sighted with increasing regularity in Scottish waters, with over 100 individuals having now been identified. These ocean giants pass through Scottish waters during their epic migration between warm-water breeding grounds in the tropics and cold-water feeding grounds in polar regions.
The practice of using heavy metal dredges to rake up scallops is the most damaging form of fishing taking place in Scotland. It has an unsustainable impact on marine habitats yet it is still legal in over 90% of inshore waters. In July 2023, following a legal challenge by the charity Open Seas, the Court of Session ruled that the Scottish Government’s approach to licensing scallop dredging was ‘unlawful’.
Plumose anemones thrive in fast-moving water and are very common on rocky reefs where the currents bring an endless supply of zooplankton. The anemone has a tall column to hold itself up in the best position to catch passing food, including jellyfish, in its feathery tentacles.
Sea cucumbers are marine invertebrates that feed on tiny plankton and decaying carcasses. These ancient creatures have been moving slowly across the sea floor for millions of years, recycling ocean waste products.
Jewel anemones are closely related to corals and display a fantastic array of bright colours. They reproduce asexually by dividing in two and can form dense, colourful carpets on rocks in shallow water. Each anemone has around 100 stinging tentacles, which they use to catch small shrimps and fish.
The Shiants are a small group of islands in the Hebrides, hosting around 100,000 breeding seabirds including 10% of the UK’s puffin population. In 2014, the Seabird Recovery Project set out to rid the islands of invasive black rats and the Shiants were declared rat-free by 2018, safeguarding existing seabird colonies and creating the conditions to allow the hoped-for return of Manx shearwaters and storm petrels.
The coastal waters of Berwickshire are home to a remarkable mix of marine life not found anywhere else in the UK. Grey seals, bottlenose dolphins and minke whales can all be seen here, while the area’s magnificent kelp forests are home to a vibrant assemblage of marine creatures such as the brightly coloured ballan wrasse.
Nudibranchs, also known as sea slugs, are soft-bodied marine molluscs that lack external shells and feed on seaweeds, sea mats, sponges, anemones and other nudibranchs. There are more than 100 species in UK seas, with this orange-clubbed sea slug covered in orange defensive glands that produce nasty tasting chemicals to deter predators.
Lightbulb sea squirts are filter feeding invertebrates without a brain that live in colonies and fluoresce green when photographed under deep blue light.
A handful of the one million young oysters destined to be released into Loch Craignish by the local community. Once restored, these oyster beds will do an amazing job filtering and cleaning the water in the loch, as well as providing habitat for other marine life.
Seagrass is a keystone species, maintaining healthy ecosystems by improving water quality and providing a safe spawning ground and nursery for fish. Some 92% of seagrass meadows have disappeared around the UK coastline, many lost to pollution and siltation, but Seawilding’s Seagrass Project is helping to turn the tide by reseeding and restoring the degraded meadows in Loch Craignish.
First published in 2024 by SCOTLAND: The Big Picture www.scotlandbigpicture.com
All rights reserved.
Written by Mark Hamblin and Hugh Webster.
Images by Peter Cairns, Chris Gomersall, Danny Green, Mark Hamblin, Mark Kirkland, Aidan Maccormick, Alex Mustard, Linda Pitkin, Philip Price, James Shooter and Richard Shucksmith.
Design by Emma Brown.
All images are held within the SCOTLAND: The Big Picture image library and are available for licensing on request, subject to appropriate reproduction fees.
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SCOTLAND: The Big Picture is a Scottish charitable company limited by guarantee. Charity No. SC050432 Company No. SC352287