Marine (Scotland) Bill

The Marine (Scotland) Bill was passed after the final Stage 3 debate in Parliament on 4 February 2010 and is thought likely to come into force around April. There were a number of final amendments tabled for correction, clarification and enhancement of the bill, involving issues such as climate change mitigation, seal licensing, fish farm consents, and protection and enhancement of a healthy marine system. These are listed at: - Marine Bill Stage 3(pdf)

The official report captures the discussion on these amendments and the later debate - follow the link to the Scottish Parliament web site to read the report.  There is still a huge amount of work required to put flesh on the bones of this enabling legislation, not least of which is identifying the marine region boundaries. There did appear to be support from MSPs for the notion that the firths should not be divided, so we are hopeful that the Moray Firth will be defined as a single Marine Region.

We will look in more detail at some of the issues in our next newsletter, and keep you informed of progress and any events planned for the Moray Firth area.

Follow the link to read the Moray Firth Partnership formal response to Marine Bill consultation from 2008.