Gannet petition - Protect the Wild

Every year, thousands of Gannet chicks are killed on a remote Scottish island.

This hunt continues not because it must, but because it is allowed, even as seabird populations decline and struggle to recover.

NatureScot has the power to stop this. It is a choice to continue.

We are calling on NatureScot to end the licensing of the Guga hunt and put protection before tradition.

Your voice matters. If you use the tool below, please take a moment to add your own words. Personal, individual messages carry far more weight and help show the strength of public concern.

If you’re having trouble using our email tool (for example if it’s not loading properly or recipients aren’t displaying) you can still take action.

Simply copy and paste the message below, add your own words, and send it directly from your email to: licensing@nature.scot; complaints@nature.scot; executive_office@nature.scot; ENQUIRIES@Nature.scot; nick.halfhide@nature.scot; colin.galbraith@nature.scot; jill.robbie@nature.scot;

Petition to NatureScot: 'Revoke the Licence to Kill Gannets on Sula Sgeir'.

170851 people have taken action so far. Help us reach 200000

First name

Last name

Phone

Subject

Letter

We, the undersigned, call on NatureScot to put an immediate and permanent end to the licensed killing of Gannet chicks (Guga) on Sula Sgeir.

The licence for this hunt is discretionary. NatureScot is not required to grant it. The Scottish Government has confirmed that NatureScot can refuse a licence if circumstances have changed.

And circumstances have changed profoundly.

Since the Guga hunt was first written into law in 1955…

Sula Sgeir has been designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its internationally important seabird colonies.
Sula Sgeir’s Gannet population has fallen below its citation level - the only SPA in Scotland where this has happened. It also shows - by far - the slowest growth rate of any comparable colony, strongly indicating that the hunt is suppressing recovery. 
Northern Gannets have been placed on the amber-list of conservation concern.
Seven other seabird species within the Sula Sgeir SPA are in unfavourable condition - four are in active decline, and three are red-listed and at risk of national extinction.
The Guga hunt has been formally assessed as causing unavoidable disturbance to several of these species, increasing the likelihood of chick deaths and directly undermining their ability to recover.
Seabird colonies have been devastated by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, with Gannets among the worst affected species - and further outbreaks remain likely.
Food security is no longer an issue and Gannet flesh is not needed for survival.

Almost two-thirds of Scotland’s seabird species have declined in the last 20 years. Scotland is now recognised as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, facing an accelerating biodiversity crisis. In addition, Scotland holds around half of the world’s Northern Gannet population, making it one of the most important countries on Earth for the survival of this species.

Continuing to authorise the killing of Gannet chicks against this backdrop is indefensible. In a nation facing a biodiversity emergency, the overriding priority must be nature recovery, not the maintenance of an outdated cultural tradition that directly conflicts with that goal.

The law does not require NatureScot to license this hunt.
Continuing to do so is a choice - a choice that pushes already vulnerable seabird colonies closer to collapse.

Stop licensing the Guga hunt. Protect Scotland’s seabirds.

Keep me updated! I want to receive emails from Protect the Wild about this campaign and other British wildlife news. You can unsubscribe at any time. (See our Privacy Policy here.)

Shop

donate

Adopt

Petition to NatureScot: 'Revoke the Licence to Kill Gannets on Sula Sgeir'.

© 2025 Protect the Wild | All Rights Reserved