Fishing is the lifeblood of island and coastal communities. Our members are the boats you see come back to harbour after a hard day at sea. They are the backbone of our coastal communities. They are creel fishermen, mobile fishermen, line fishermen, dive fishermen; small family businesses.

We are the boats who believe in local sustainable fishing and inclusive, balanced, and fair regional and national management based on science, the environment, and local providence.

We are the boats who work together all around the coast and want to work within governmental frameworks transparently. We work with scientists and policy-makers to make sure we fish sustainably with the next generation in mind.

Increasingly we -and other small fishing communities- are coming under pressure from internationally funded campaign groups. These groups are centrally organised and well-resourced with significant funds often originating from out with our communities and indeed country.

These groups want to bypass local management and install blanket proposals to close inshore fishing, risking the socio-economic stability of the communities we know and love. Some of these proposals directly jeopardise the safety of the men and women who go to sea. We also know the objectives pursued by these groups will significantly impact small scale fishing communities around the coast, not the wealthy landowners or multi-nationals who are involved in coordinating these campaigns.

If you support local fishing communities and want to see fair and informed management through processes such as public national consultations (which all stakeholders can engage with) and Inshore Fisheries Groups (which all fishermen can engage in alongside scientists and government) then please consider supporting coastal fishermen here by signing this petition. We want to see sustainable coastal fishing communities, but we need your help.

Thank you.

Please sign to support our local Scottish fishing communities.