RJ Hamster
The Guga Hunt campaign is growing and so is…
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The Guga Hunt campaign is growing and so is the pressure on NatureScot
FEB 13READ IN APP
Since our last update, the campaign to end the Guga hunt has moved into a new phase. The petitions have grown, parliamentary scrutiny continues, and pressure on NatureScot is rapidly mounting. We want to bring you fully up to speed on what’s happened, and what comes next.
The Government Petition: 90,000 Voices and Rising
The government petition to end the Guga hunt – created by wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby and supported by Protect the Wild – has now surpassed 90,000 signatures, making it, to our knowledge, the fourth most signed petition in Scottish parliamentary history.
This really is significant given that animal protection campaigns rarely reach this scale in Scotland. It places the issue firmly within the national political consciousness and makes clear that wildlife protection is not a marginal cause, but a mainstream public concern.
And the timing couldn’t be more critical: Scotland goes to the polls in May. As we approach the election, parliamentary activity is naturally winding down. With the end of this session in sight, there is simply not enough time for full scrutiny of the petition’s contents, let alone the legislative change required to make the Guga hunt illegal.
But there’s an important opportunity ahead. The Petitions Committee has the power to select a small number of petitions to stay open and carry forward into the next government. On 21 January, Stop the Guga Hunt was shortlisted. On 11 March, a final decision will be made on whether it continues or closes.
Ahead of 11 March, we will be providing further evidence to the Committee and attending the session ourselves to ensure this campaign’s presence is felt in the room when the final call is made.
In the meantime, the most powerful thing you can do is keep the petition growing. Every additional signature reinforces the demand for change and makes this issue harder to ignore.
If you have not yet signed, or if you know someone who cares about wildlife protection, now is the moment to add your name and share it.
Why we are pursuing both the Government and NatureScot
If the Guga hunt is to end permanently, we must address the root of the issue: the legal exemption that allows it to continue. Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 specifically permits the taking of gannets on Sula Sgeir for human consumption.
The hunt dates back centuries and was historically linked to food provision in times of scarcity. But that is clearly not the case today, and the hunt is completely at odds with modern values, conservation and wildlife protection laws.
The exemption has persisted largely because it has not been properly revisited, and that is exactly what must now change. Because as long as that exemption remains, the hunt can continue.
That is why our campaign will maintain a clear focus on legislative reform. And that focus will only intensify when the new government is formed in May. We will ensure that removing this outdated clause is placed firmly on the political agenda in the early days.
But there is a crucial caveat, and it gives this campaign another powerful lever: each year, the Guga hunt can only take place if NatureScot (the Scottish government’s official nature advisory agency) chooses to issue a discretionary licence for it. The law permits the Guga hunt in principle, but it proceeds only if NatureScot actively authorises it.
NatureScot’s role is to assess and issue licences by evaluating applications against conservation tests and the best available scientific evidence. They must ensure, for example, that the hunt does not adversely affect the conservation status of protected species or undermine the conservation objectives of the Special Protection Area.
The latest evidence clearly shows that Sula Sgeir’s gannet population is not stable, not growing, and not able to withstand even a reduced annual harvest. In addition, our investigations have uncovered a mountain of procedural concerns and historic failures in the licensing of the Guga hunt. We are carefully documenting these findings and building a clear record of concerns that cannot simply be ignored.
For now, we are engaging constructively and respectfully with NatureScot, who we are in active communication with. We are giving them the opportunity to correct course. But we are fully prepared to act if those gaps remain unaddressed.
Right now, we need you to sign our petition asking NatureScot to put an immediate end to the killing of gannet chicks on Sula Sgeir.
The NatureScot board meeting: Pressure mounting
Your support is already beginning to have a visible impact on NatureScot. On 3 Feb, we asked you to email NatureScot and request they address concerns around the Guga hunt at their next board meeting. On 6 Feb, they issued a new public statement acknowledging the volume of emails they had received and strength of feeling about the hunt. They confirmed their chair was aware and discussing concerns with the licensing team.
That matters because it shows that when you act – things happen. It also marks a shift. We are no longer just raising concerns, we are triggering institutional responses and putting accountability on the public record. This is how campaigns move from protest to pressure, and from pressure to change. If this happened in a few days, imagine what we can collectively achieve in a few weeks, a few months…
On 11 February, that board meeting took place. One of the most striking aspects was the level of privacy. Although board meetings are generally open to observers, five out of six agenda items were taken in private. The decision to move discussions behind closed doors hints that the pressure is being felt internally.
In the one agenda item we were able to observe (their performance reports for that quarter), the Guga hunt was referenced as part of a range of “species conflicts” creating operational strain and workload pressure.
We acknowledge that public scrutiny requires time and resources. But NatureScot should be far more concerned with the substance of the concerns being raised than with the inconvenience of having to answer them. As an organisation that exists to protect and improve Scotland’s nature, their number one priority should be conserving wildlife and improving our natural environment.
So as long as NatureScot continues licensing the Men of Ness to bash gannet chicks to death, we have no plans to lighten their workload any time soon.
The Path Ahead
This is only the beginning. Over the coming months, we will:
- Continue submitting targeted Freedom of Information requests to bring transparency to licensing decisions and conservation assessments.
- Scrutinise the scientific, legal and procedural basis for any future licence decisions.
- Engage respectfully but firmly with NatureScot leadership.
- Work with legal and policy experts to fully understand the statutory framework surrounding the hunt.
- Ensure the issue remains visible in Parliament through evidence submissions and political engagement ahead of the election.
- Sustain public awareness and pressure in a measured, strategic way through physical protests, compelling social media content, animations, media engagement and more.
We will escalate responsibly where necessary. But we will always act with evidence, integrity and the seriousness this issue deserves.
Thank you for standing with us and the Gannets.
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