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Allegations of illegal scallop dredging in Orkney are under investigation by the Scottish Government, The Ferret can reveal.
Angry locals claim that rogue fishermen are wrecking the seabed, undermining sustainable fishing and “risking local jobs”.
They have called for a ban on scallop dredging within three miles of the shore.
Scallop dredging is a controversial fishing method that damages seabed habitats.
Dredging involves fishermen using heavy-duty metal framed nets – dredges – which are pulled over the seabed by boats. It is favoured by some fishermen because it increases their catch.
But dredges severely damage marine life and the ecosystem.
The fishing method can impact creeling for crab, prawns and lobsters – and the hand-dived scallop industry, which is important to the archipelago.
The seas around most of Orkney were designated as a marine protected area (MPA) in 2014 to safeguard the feeding grounds of black guillemots, and they are home to vulnerable species like spurdog sharks.
However, The Ferret revealed last year that evidence of scallop dredging had been found inside an Orkney MPA.
The latest alleged incident took place on 30 July 2024 when a scallop dredge vessel – which we cannot name for legal reasons – operated inside a closed area called Bring Deeps where dredging is seasonally prohibited.
A photograph seen by The Ferret shows scallop dredges being hauled by a boat, which indicates fishing.
The law says that boats must have their gear “lashed and stowed” when transiting a closed area.
The Ferret understands the owner of the fishing vessel was previously found guilty of illegal fishing.
The Scottish Government introduced a new enforcement regime for scallop dredgers recently which requires all vessels to carry remote electronic monitoring equipment.
In theory, this means that the government should be able to monitor all scallop dredging and prevent illegal activity.
Our islands are increasingly famed for high quality, sustainable seafood, so we cannot allow this reputation to be damaged by an increase in reckless scallop dredging around our islands.
Fred Brown, owner of scallop dive business in Orkney
Orkney is one of the few areas in Scotland where there is a significant hand-dived fishery for scallops.
Nick Nourse, a commercial scallop diver in Orkney, told The Ferret that “clear evidence of illegal scallop dredging” was given to Kirkwall Fishery Office several weeks ago. He added: “In the meantime, scallop dredging activity is now continuing to wreck areas of healthy and productive seabed, undermining more sustainable fishing and risking local jobs.
“We are making a good living from scallop diving, and the sustainable nature of our fishery has allowed us to manage our dive grounds well, which is why scallop dredge vessels want to access these areas. It seems absurd that the greed of one dredger could be allowed to destroy the livelihoods of more than 30 divers and countless creel fishermen. This is a completely untenable situation and we need our politicians to help resolve it urgently.”
Fred Brown, owner of a local scallop dive business, said Orkney has a “thriving dive fishery and it makes no sense to dredge where you can dive for scallops”.
He added: “Our islands are increasingly famed for high quality, sustainable seafood, so we cannot allow this reputation to be damaged by an increase in reckless scallop dredging around our islands. I would like to see a ban on scallop dredging within three miles of the shore, to protect more sustainable and profitable inshore fishing here.”
Nick Underdown, of the campaign group Open Seas, said that despite the new laws requiring scallop dredge vessels to be monitored, “dredging is still permitted in 95 per cent of Scotland’s inshore zone, including in many areas where vulnerable habitats are known to exist”.
He added: “Government should be encouraging and incentivising sustainable fishing by supporting those fishing businesses with the best environmental credentials and which bring the most socio-economic value. Instead the current climate of weak regulation seems to be allowing unsustainable scallop dredging operators to bully other more sustainable fishermen off their fishing grounds.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “This is a live investigation and therefore we are unable to comment further.”
Featuted photo credit: iStock and Pictureview
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