📸: 2. Paul Naylor; 3. Keith Mutch; 5. Michiel Vos

🐟 Pollack are found around rocky coastal waters, and feed on fish, squid, shrimp and crabs. Also known as lythe, this species is often mistaken for its close relative, the coalfish or saithe.

🦈 Small-spotted catshark, otherwise known as the lesser-spotted dogfish, live close to the seabed either in shallow waters or up to 100 metres deep. They prey on crabs, molluscs, and small fish and curl into a doughnut shape when threatened.

🐚 Blue-rayed limpet live on kelp and feed on its fronds. Though only exposed at very low tide, their brownish shells are marked with vivid blue lines making them a little easier to spot.

⭐ Spiny starfish are the largest starfish in UK seas, growing up to 70 cm across. Its body is covered in white spines and it can be found in shallow coastal waters but also at depths of around 200 m.

🐟 Sand eels may be small but they play a huge role in Scotland’s seas as a vital food source for seabirds, fish, and marine mammals.

🐠 Cuckoo wrasse are among Scotland’s most striking fish, spending their lives in rocky areas around the coast.

A five-course menu will be served with dishes celebrating hand-dived scallops, followed by discussions on how menus, food storytelling, & consumer choices can help drive more sustainable practices across Scotland’s seafood sector.

Learn more about the event ➡️ www.openseas.org.uk/thegannetlun...

With government commitments still waiting to be fulfilled, it’s time to turn what they have promised into robust action for Scotland’s underwater meadows.

📚 Read more about Scotland’s seagrass in our Ocean Witness Report at the link in bio. openseas.org.uk/ocean-witness/

Scotland has already lost an estimated 44% of its seagrass beds since 1936, and despite being recognised as a Priority Marine Feature for several years now, that protection on paper has done little to stop or slow further harm.

Effective conservation starts with knowing exactly what’s there. Seagrass meadows provide nursery grounds for young fish, stabilise the seabed, & slow coastal erosion. They also play a crucial role in capturing & storing carbon in the ocean, helping to mitigate climate change.

As part of our #OceanWitnessReport, we mapped seagrass meadows across Scotland’s inshore waters, from Orkney to Islay. Our surveys revealed both the promise and the peril of these habitats: as some remain healthy and thriving, while others show clear signs of decline.

📸: 2. Basking Shark Scotland; 3. Seabeaver Aerial,2022; 6. Seabeaver Aerial,2022; 7. Seabeaver Aerial,2022

🪸 The consultation is due to open this November so stay tuned for how to take part.

ℹ️ And read our entire Ocean Witness Report here: www.openseas.org.uk/ocean-witness/

We need a comprehensive, robust, & progressive National Marine Plan (NMP2) that maps out what activities are permitted where, & prioritises low-impact fisheries.

Scotland has a track record of being bold & world-leading in its legislation & policies, let’s keep that up for NMP2.

As we moved on to other areas, it became increasingly clear that the pattern of insufficient protection was not isolated but indicative of a systemic issue within Scotland’s MPA network.

Too many MPAs and PMFs remain merely "paper parks”, protected in theory but not in reality.

But, despite commitments to protect these habitats (maerl beds here were legally recognised as a PMF in 2018), we witnessed damage to some of the maerl beds such as a clear straight line down the edge indicating that it had been “cut off” - an obvious sign of dredge damage.