A call for action

to rectify years of neglect and poor environmental practice on the west coast.

In a recent statement to the Glasgow Herald, the Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust say that otters, seabirds and other creatures are turning up emaciated and malnourished sparking fears that fish stocks are running dangerously low on the west coast.

John Robertson, one of the trustees at the North Ayrshire rescue centre, said gannets and other marine creatures were dying in unprecedented numbers.

"We’ve had at least double figures of gannets from the west coast of Scotland in recent weeks, and most of them died," he said. "They’re starving – there’s just no food for them. A lot of otters are coming in badly emaciated."

Mr Robertson, who contacted The Herald to voice his concern over the future of the nation’s wildlife, said he and his wife – also a trustee at Hessilhead – had seen otters forced to eat guillemots due to the lack of food during a boat trip up the Western Isles.

Existing environmental work such as Arran’s Lamlash Bay marine conservation site should have a positive effect, he said, but may be too late.

He said: "Arran’s supposed to be a conservation site now, and while it’s great that they’re doing that there might be nothing left there anyway.

More in the Herald online.

Category: Conservation