Fishing

Start here

The point is not to attack individuals, or to deny that aquaculture provides jobs. The point is to ask whether the current model is fair, properly sequenced, and accountable.

A prior question: who owns the sea and seabed?

Before we argue about “best use”, a prior question exists: what lawful title is being relied on to allocate marine space and seabed rights in Shetland?

If ownership is assumed rather than demonstrated, then every consent, lease, and exclusion zone sits on presumption. This is not a demand — it is a sequencing question: does the Crown own the seas and seabed, and if so, on what evidence of title?

What has just happened

Shetland Islands Council has approved a major Scottish Sea Farms development in Yell Sound, described in reporting as Scotland’s largest salmon farm.

Scottish Sea Farms is owned by external corporate interests. Cooke Aquaculture, another large external operator, is also active. Although these firms employ Shetland people, a central concern is that profits are extracted while local fishermen receive no recompense for loss of traditional grounds.

The core issue

• Marine space is finite: one use can exclude or constrain another.
• Traditional fishing grounds can be displaced, made unsafe, or effectively removed.
• Costs fall locally while corporate value flows outward.
• Fairness question: if fishermen lose access, what mechanism provides recompense?

Local voices

Evidence base

Supporting documents are stored in the TSNS Evidence Library.