Highly Protected Marine Areas "will not progress", says government
The fishing industry, which had been opposed to the initiative, welcomed the decision
The Scottish Government says controversial plans which would have restricted fishing in Scottish waters will not go ahead.
The fishing industry, which had been fiercely opposed to the Highly Protected Marine Area initiative – welcomed the decision with Conservatives hailing the decision as a "victory for our fishermen".
While 55% of all respondents to a government consultation on HPMAs supported their introduction, a "large majority" of these responses came from a single campaign.
When campaign responses are removed from the consultation, 76% were opposed to HPMAs, with only a fifth backing their introduction.
The Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan said: "As I set out in Parliament earlier this year, the proposal to implement highly protected marine areas across 10% of Scotland's seas by 2026 will not be progressed."
She insisted ministers are "firmly committed to protecting our marine environment" and would "continue to work closely with coastal communities and industries to protect Scotland's seas for the benefit of all".
"Overwhelmingly" opposed to the plans
Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said: "This analysis confirms that individuals were overwhelmingly opposed to the introduction of HPMAs, and the government was right to listen to these concerns and shelve the proposals.
"This confirmation is a huge relief for salmon farmers and all those who rely on our sector who were concerned about the impact on their livelihoods."
Conservative rural affairs spokesperson Rachael Hamilton MSP said the minister's confirmation was "a victory for our fishermen who made their views known in no uncertain terms that HPMAs would have destroyed the industry and the coastal communities that they support".
She claimed that for "far too long" SNP ministers had "failed to engage with the industry over what this effective ban on fishing would have meant, as they bowed to the demands of their extremist Green partners".
The Tory added: "Now that these wholly unworkable plans have been consigned to history, the SNP-Green government must be upfront about any future plans for marine protection."
Charles Millar, executive director of the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust, said: "The Scottish Government's next steps must be guided by community, science and economics, all of which point in the same direction."
He stated that for the first time ministers should "allocate substantial areas for the creelers, for dredging and trawling where they can have a lower impact" as well as set areas aside for nature restoration.