Hans J Marter

24 January, 2007

SHETLAND Islands Council yesterday (Tuesday) held back from rejecting the idea of the isles becoming Scotland's first national marine park.

However councillors will tell the Scottish Executive that their consultation exercise on the proposal has been "insufficient" and "too vague".

They will also tell the executive that there are already enough organisations and control mechanisms with responsibility for managing the marine environment.

The SIC's infrastructure committee yesterday agreed to express neither support nor opposition to being designated as a pilot marine national park.

The councillors' response follows a month long consultation carried out within Shetland during which three quarters of respondents were against the designation.

Of 202 responses received, 164 were against the idea while just 34 were in favour. Four said they were undecided.

During yesterday's debate, councillor Josie Simpson, a former chairman of the Shetland Fishermen's Association, moved to reject the proposal to designate Shetland outright.

He was defeated by ten votes to six, councillors instead deciding to "keep the door open" and to "not totally reject the proposition".

Council convener Sandy Cluness said: "It doesn't do us any harm to keep the door open. We can tell the executive that they got their own consultation badly wrong and explain to them how we would manage our marine environment."