Shetland Times Column 6th December 2024

Underpinning the discussions is scientific data. Having visited the Marine Directorate laboratory in Aberdeen in the autumn, as a member of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, I think it fair to say that most of us there that day were surprised, and I was certainly shocked, at the physical condition of the estate at Torry. Despite these workplace conditions, the staff there are passionate about their work and were keen to share with us some of the important projects they are undertaking.

In September I asked the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate about vacant posts it had advertised across the past seven years. Unfortunately, much of that data was unknown. This is due, I was told, to changes to internal computer systems.

For the financial year of 2024-2025 (to date) there were 81 posts advertised with only 27 posts filled. However, this is somewhat of an outlier as for the previous two years there was a higher rate of positions filled (65 and 71 out of around 80).

Perhaps it is too soon to analyse this year’s numbers at the mid-way point in the financial year. I do fear though that it evidences my concern that the body needs more resource to achieve the growing list of responsibilities it is given dominion over.

At the Rural Affairs and Islands committee in September, Dr Robin Cook, former director of Fisheries Research Services in the marine laboratory in Aberdeen, gave evidence about the difficulties in delivering government policies while the capacity to deliver is being “run down”.  Dr Cook also said in terms of marine data that “the directorate is dependent only on what it had learned 10 years ago”.

Up-to-date data is vital for the sake of sustainable fisheries and the call for increased investment in fisheries science is a strong one.

For the sake of our local fleets, we need safety at sea, sustainable fish stocks and a Marine Directorate that is robust, responsive and fully resourced. 

We currently lack a Marine Directorate able to keep up with changing circumstances. This is also vital with the increasing demand for space in the marine environment due to the growing offshore renewables sector.

We need to have a Marine Directorate that has the capability to provide accurate data with as much scientific at sea data and knowledge as possible. A nimble, flexible arm of the Scottish Government, not an under-resourced overworked bureaucracy.

Meantime, the Scottish Government’s Budget is due to take place on Wednesday afternoon.  In my party’s budget talks with the government it was made clear that we expect to see a restoration of funding for local councils. This column has been written before the outcome of the Scottish Budget is known.