Environmental, Waste and Renewables Update

STV: Can Scotland sell its mackerel to Japan?

Scotland is set to keep selling more and more of its mackerel to Japan thanks to a renewed trade agreement struck by industry leaders this week. In the last four years, Scottish mackerel imports to Japan have risen sharply from 2% of the total market to 20%. Seafood Scotland, the independent trade and marketing body for the nation’s seafood industry, is hoping to grow that trend by sending even more fish to Japan in the coming year. The new Scotland-Japan mackerel deal launched on Monday is the fourth in four years in a row.

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Scotsman: Scottish seabird numbers continue to fall - but three species show signs of recovering

Scotland’s seabird population continues to decline but some species are showing signs of recovery, new figures have shown. The data, from the Scottish Government’s nature agency NatureScot, chart breeding numbers for 11 of the 24 species of seabirds that breed in Scotland, over the period 1986-2023. They also document the “breeding success” – or the number of chicks produced – for 12 species over the same period. The figures show that between 1986 and 2023, the 11 species assessed for breeding numbers were down 48 per cent overall, with Arctic skua showing the worst decline at 83 per cent.

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Scotsman: Scottish school prepares for court battle over plans for battery storage site

A leading independent school is prepared to take plans for a battery storage site near its grounds to court after what has been described as “a failure of democracy.” Robert Gordon’s College, in Aberdeen, has been battling plans for the development proposed for a site near its grounds – arguing it could put pupils in danger. The proposed facility is said to contain 48 lithium-ion batteries within 12 shipping container sized cabinets, near the Craigiebuckler substation.

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Farming Online: Scottish firm's woodland creation surpasses Northern Ireland and Wales combined

Some of the UK's rarest wildlife is being "torched alive" and pushed closer to extinction after weeks of intense grass fires, conservationists have warned. They include endangered birds like hen harriers and water voles, which are now the UK's fastest declining mammal. The National Trust said it believed ongoing wildfires at Abergwesyn common in Powys had destroyed "the last remaining" local breeding habitat for golden plovers - considered one of the most beautiful birds of the British uplands.

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