THE introduction of measures to prevent “damaging” activities in many of Scotland’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has “stalled”, environmental campaigners claimed.

While green groups celebrated when the Scottish Government designated 32 MPAs a decade ago in August 2014, campaigners said only around half of these initial areas currently benefit as a result of “protection from damaging fishing activities”.

Those were introduced in January 2016 – but groups including the Scottish Wildlife Trust, National Trust for Scotland, RSPB Scotland and the Marine Conservation Society now fear this process of rolling out such protections has “stalled”.