Russell Findlay has warned that the fishing industry cannot become a “casualty of green energy obsession” as 32 offshore wind projects have been given approval since 2022 with a further 32 zones of sea space identified for future development.
On a visit to Peterhead before opening his North East Party Conference tomorrow, the Scottish Conservative leader pledged to protect fishing waters from the threat of “spatial squeeze” amid concerns over the harm to jobs, the economy, tourism, and reduced fish stocks.
Elspeth Macdonald, of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, along with Lorna Paterson of NFU Scotland and OEUK’s David Whitehouse, will take part in panels about fishing, farming and the energy sector at tomorrow’s North East Conservative Conference.
At Peterhead Harbour, Russell Findlay MSP was joined by Scottish Conservative fishing spokesman, Tim Eagle MSP, to meet Gavin Thain, captain of the Guiding Light, and Peter Bruce, who is the Peterhead Port convener and captain of the Budding Rose.
It follows the publication of the Scottish Government’s consultation into its offshore wind marine plan, which attracted 304 responses from 234 members of the public and 70 organisations.
Within the report, it was revealed that 20 offshore wind projects with a generation capacity of 27GW were granted permission in 2022, and a further 12 were given the green light in 2023, totalling 5.5GW.
But despite widespread concern, the document states the Scottish Government wants to ramp up its offshore wind drive, identifying a further 32 areas for development with a generation capacity of 37.4GW.
Following his visit to Peterhead Harbour, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “The fishing sector must not become a casualty of the Scottish Government’s reckless green energy obsession that risks decimating our country’s food security and harming our world-renowned food production.
“Fishermen, like the ones I have met in Peterhead, are hugely concerned at being ignored and cast astray by the seismic pursuit of wind farms on their fishing grounds.
“These irresponsible plans are putting the future of our fishing fleets and their stocks in jeopardy.
“Rather than pushing fishermen out of their traditional grounds and threatening their way of life, the SNP government must urgently scale back these developments before it’s too late.”
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Scottish Conservative fishing spokesman Tim Eagle MSP, whose public meeting on plans for Moray FLOW-Park attracted more than 600 people, added: “Every single day, the stampede of offshore wind developments poses a greater threat to the future of our fishing industry.
“These proposals will threaten livelihoods, our coastal communities, and our food security.
“The Scottish Government must read the room and roll back on its determination to bulldoze through our historic fishing grounds.
