The Scottish Government

Key facts

• The Bill replaces the outdated Conservation of Seals Act 1970
• Improved protection for seals and a new comprehensive licence system to ensure appropriate management
• It will be an offence to kill or take any seal at any time - except under licence or for animal welfare concerns
• Sea fisheries, salmon fisheries and salmon netsmen will continue to be able to protect fish, fisheries and gear by applying for a seal management licence
• A duty to report the killing or taking of seals under licence or for welfare reasons
• New legislation will be fully compliant with Habitats Directive
  
  

Frequently Asked Questions

What will the Marine Bill deliver for seals?

• The Marine Bill will increase overall protection for seals by making it an offence to kill or take any seal at any time.
• It will allow exceptions only under specific licence or for animal welfare.

Why does the Marine Bill not introduce a complete ban on killing seals?

• Scotland has large seal populations - 160,000 grey seals and still slowly increasing and 20,000 common seals - which can impact on important fishery and aquaculture sectors.
• This necessitates some seal management to protect fisheries and fish farms.

How will the Marine Bill improve enforcement?

• The Marine Bill clarifies the nature of offences for all stakeholders.
• The "netsmen's defence" exception, which proved extremely difficult to interpret, has been removed.
• The Bill increases the penalties for killing, injuring or taking a seal in line with other wildlife legislation.

How will fisheries and the aquaculture industry protect themselves from seals under the Bill?

• The first resort will be to non-lethal seal management measures - i.e. anti-predator nets and acoustic deterrents.
• Where these are not effective or practical, sea fisheries, salmon fisheries and salmon netsmen will continue to be able to protect fish, fisheries and gear by applying for a seal management licence.
• For the first time, the aquaculture industry will be able to protect stocks and cages by applying for a seal management licence.

What will be the basis for the new seal licence system?

• The licence system will be based on the model developed in the successful Moray Firth Seal Management Plan pilot, involving 12 District Salmon Fisheries Boards and 19 active netting stations.
• This pilot successfully reduced local seal shooting by 60%.
• It will involve the use of a Permitted/Potential Biological Removal (PBR), which provides a maximum that can be removed without affecting the wider population.
• The PBR will take into account differences in the size of the grey and common seal populations and between regional seal populations.
• It will include consultation with statutory scientific advisers - Natural Environment Research Council's Special Committee on Seals and Scottish Natural Heritage - and with Marine Scotland Science.

For what purposes might seal licences be issued?

• Seal licences may be issued for:- scientific research, conservation of other species or habitats, protecting zoological or botanical collections, preserving public health, preventing spread of disease, preventing serious damage to fisheries or fish farms or for other imperative reasons of overriding public interest.

How will the new licence system address animal welfare issues?

• For the first time, the new licence system will consider appropriate animal welfare issues.
• It will specify the method of killing or taking seals, the maximum number, the reporting requirement.
• It may also specify the general areas and general circumstances for killing or taking, as under the Moray Firth Seal Management Plan.

What about stakeholder involvement?

• The new licence system will take into account the views of a range of stakeholders through the Seals Forum and its Working Group.