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Scottish Island Bird Hunt Banned After Almost 500 Years
Torcuil Crichton says the process needs full transparency as NatureScot weighs a refusal recommendation that cites uncertainty over the gannet population.
- On Monday, August 3, 2026, NatureScot board members officially refused a license application from the Men of Ness for this year's guga hunt, citing harm to the long-term stability of the gannet colony on Sula Sgeir.
- NatureScot officials recommended refusal on Wednesday, citing "underlying uncertainties in relation to gannet population at Sula Sgeir" and concluding adverse impacts were possible even at reduced limits of 500 birds.
- A record-breaking petition with more than 100,000 signatures urged officials to stop the hunt, with Protect the Wild Scottish Campaigns Manager Devon Docherty calling the refusal a "victory for compassion" against what activists termed a "brutal death."
- Na h-Eileanan an Iar MP Torcuil Crichton questioned the process's transparency, while Save Our Guga Harvest representative Murdo MacRitchie argued the decision rewards campaigners who bullied the island community, causing "the most toxic moment."
- Although the 2026 hunt is stopped, the practice remains legal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, prompting calls for the Scottish Government to close the loophole allowing future applications.
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Centuries-old British tradition banned by SNP after violent 'animal rights' uproar
Centuries-old British tradition banned by SNP after violent 'animal rights' uproar . A centuries-old British tradition has been banned by the Scottish Government after an "animal rights" uproar
·London, United Kingdom
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Radio France Internationale+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
Last Scottish island bird hunt banned after almost 500 years
A hunting group, the "Men of Ness", had requested a licence to hunt up to "2,000 juvenile gannets", Scotland's natural heritage agency NatureScot said. First recorded in 1549, the annual hunt involves a 64-kilometre (40-mile) journey across rough seas to the remote, uninhabited island of Sula Sgeir, off Scotland's northwest coast. During the hunt, baby gannets are taken from the rocks with a special pole, hit on the head and salted before hunter…
·Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources18
Leaning Left3Leaning Right3Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Center
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources are Center
54% Center
L 23%
C 54%
R 23%
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