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Argyll & Bute MP Brendan O’Hara, has welcomed the Scottish government’s re-think on HPMAs
Argyll & Bute MP Brendan O’Hara has “very much welcomed” the Scottish government’s announcement that they are not to proceed with their proposal to introduce Highly Protected Marine Areas in their current form.
Mr. O’Hara who from the outset had been an outspoken critic of the HPMA plan said, “I argued from day one that the government’s HPMA proposal was far too blunt an instrument to tackle what is a very complex range of issues, and I very much welcome the government’s change of heart”.
The Argyll & Bute MP who had recently written to more than 10,000 of his constituents urging them to make their opinion known to Holyrood ministers added, “I would like to thank everyone in Argyll & Bute who contributed to the consultation, and to the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary, for listening to the genuine concerns of our coastal communities, and acting accordingly.”
But he sounded a note of caution saying, “We cannot take this change of heart as a green light to continue with business-as-usual, and we now have a responsibility to engage meaningfully in the debate on how we best protect our precious marine environment, while promoting balanced, sustainable fishing.”
Source: Press Release