Building A New Scotland: Our Marine Sector

by Yes
Posted on
5 months ago
2 min read

Scotland is a proud maritime nation and our marine sector is a national asset.

Brexit has significantly impacted Scotland’s marine sector, creating major barriers to trade, reducing access to labour and a loss of fishing opportunities for parts of our fleet.

But it is only with the full powers of independence that we can unlock its full potential.

As an independent EU member state, Scotland would for the first time be able to negotiate for its own priorities at the heart of Europe.

Here’s what our proposals for the marine sector mean for you:

We’d be able to safeguard Scotland’s marine environment, seas, rivers, and coasts, addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, and ensuring their sustainable use and enjoyment for current and future generations.

We’d be able to help people across Scotland to enjoy economic, health, and wellbeing benefits from a thriving marine sector, leading to stronger local economies and vibrant coastal communities.

We’d be able to create new employment and career opportunities in cutting-edge technologies such as offshore wind, its supporting services, and the broader supply chain.

And we’d enable families and communities to benefit from secure, affordable, and clean energy as Scotland transitions to net zero.

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Here’s what our proposals for the marine sector mean for Scotland:

We’d be able to gain EU membership, providing Scottish seafood exporters with free access to the EU single market. This would grant our seafood businesses, coastal communities, and marine science sector the benefits of freedom of movement associated with EU membership.

We’d be able to negotiate with the EU for a fair share of funding to support our seafood industries, coastal communities, and marine science sector, surpassing the current offerings from the UK to Scotland.

We’d be able to actively contribute to the development of current and future EU laws, such as reforms of the Common Fisheries Policy, in a proactive, positive, and constructive manner.

We’d be able to engage in independent negotiations in fisheries and other international matters without requiring UK Government consent, ensuring that Scottish priorities are not diluted by other UK interests.

And we’d be able to obtain full legislative and financial decision-making powers, eliminating dependence on the UK Government for decisions and support in sectors like offshore wind energy.