A group of Scottish conservationists wants to make the Inner Hebrides the centre of Britain’s first marine national park, with legal protection so that the rich flora and fauna of their waters can only be used sustainably.

The group’s fear is that the area is at risk from the kind of industrial fishing by foreign fleets that has wiped out much of the marine life in the North Sea.

The group hopes the Scottish parliament will bring in legislation to protect the seas in the Inner Hebrides as has been done at different sites around the world.

Marine parks have been credited by environmental scientists with protecting valuable coral reefs and other habitat while at the same time improving fishing stocks on the parks’ borders. Catches around the Caribbean island of St Lucia doubled after marine reserves were set up there. www.hmnpp.org.uk