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Marine Bill
29/10/2009
A new era for Scotland's seas came a step closer today when the Marine Bill passed its first parliamentary stage.
The Scottish Government also announced it was to have new responsibilities for safeguarding the health of all Scottish waters out to 200 nautical miles in implementing new European regulations. This is in addition to an earlier decision to give Scotland responsibility for marine planning out to 200 nautical miles.
Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
"Scotland has a long and proud history as a maritime nation and is shaped and defined by its waters. We have one of Europe's biggest coastlines and our seas are rich in fish stocks, have the potential to power the world and generate billions of pounds for the Scottish economy.
"Today's vote and the announcement that we are to have additional responsibilities extending out to 200 nautical miles represent a huge step towards a sustainable and economically-viable future for our marine environment."
The Bill, which seeks to protect Scotland's unique marine environment for future generations, will now return to the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee for more detailed scrutiny. An amendment will be introduced at that stage to add climate change objectives to the new national marine plan to help Scotland meet its world-leading emission targets.
Mr Lochhead added:
"We owe it to future generations to ensure our seas are managed and harvested sustainably. Economic growth is vital but it should be balanced with protection for our stunning marine environment.
"Our waters are home to some of the most spectacular wildlife and marine habitats on the planet, with 44,000 species and almost half of the world's entire population of grey seals. They also make a huge contribution to the economy through industries such as fishing. The measures contained in our new Marine Bill will help find the right balance and ensure our environment prospers for decades to come.
"Marine renewables are a powerful weapon in our fight against climate change but progress on this front must be achieved alongside environmental safeguards. This legislation gives Scotland the powers and flexibility to manage our seas and meet these challenges head on."
Scotland's seas generate industry worth around £22 billion (£2.2 billion excluding oil and gas).
Scotland's seas provide 50,000 jobs in Scotland (excluding oil and gas).
Scotland's seas support approximately 6,500 species of plants and animals (44,000 if microbial species are included).
Scotland holds a quarter of Europe's total tidal and offshore wind resource and 10 per cent of its potential in wave power. By 2020 it is anticipated that over 7GW of power will be generated from these renewable energy sources, equivalent to nearly 50 per cent of Scotland's electricty consumption.
Scotland is the world leader in the development of wave and tidal stream devices. The European Marine Energy Centre based in Orkney is the world's first wave and tidal testing facility..
Scottish Renewables predict more than £10 billion capital investment in marine renewable energy by 2020.
The Scottish Government's £10 million Saltire Prize challenge for advances in wave and tidal energy is one of the biggest international innovation prizes in history.
The Scottish Government together with the other UK administrations will be launching a consultation on the transposition of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive very shortly. This will propose that the Scottish Government is the competent authority for the Directive in all Scottish waters out to 200 nautical miles. The Directive requires competent authorities to introduce measures to achieve good environmental status for their seas by 2020.