Campaigners said they have won a “victory for Scotland’s seas” after judges rejected a bid by the Scottish Government to overturn an earlier court ruling in a case centred on fishing practices.
The judgment from the Court of Session in Edinburgh marks another blow for Humza Yousaf’s Government, which is now operating as a minority administration at Holyrood after the First Minister terminated the powersharing deal with the Scottish Greens with immediate effect on Thursday.
A panel of three judges, including Scotland’s most senior judge, Lord President Lord Carloway, upheld a decision by the court in June 2023 after a legal challenge over the Government’s approach to licensing for scallop dredging.
Marine conservation charity Open Seas took the Scottish Government to court, arguing licensing decisions to allow scallop dredging – which involves weighted nets being dragged across the seabed – were unlawful because ministers did not consider their impacts on marine habitats.
