PETITIONRejectedPetition · petition.parliament.uk

Stop the Guga Hunt

I am calling on the government to amend the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 so that Gannets on Sula Sgeir receive full legal protection. Currently, Section 16 of the Act allows licences to be granted to permit the annual killing of up to 500 chicks in the “guga hunt.”

Last fetched 19 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk

Signatures

signatures

Government response threshold (10,000) · 20/10,000

Debate threshold (100,000) · 20/100,000

Petition progress2 events · Aug – Sept 2025

18 SEPT 2025
Petition rejected
local
We have to reject petitions that call for action at a local level. This is a devolved issue which is the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament. You may wish to submit a petition to the Scottish Parliament: https://petitions.parliament.scot/ You could also ask your MSP to take action on your concerns about this issue, including by asking them to present a public (paper) petition about this. You can find contact details for your local MSP here: https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps
12 AUG 2025
Petition created

Background

Northern Gannets already face a number of threats: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, overfishing, climate change, poorly planned windfarms, plastic pollution and entanglement in fishing gear. The killing of 500 chicks yearly erases up to 6,000 future birds on average —each could breed for 12 years— and far more for those living longer. This needless loss, on top of disease and dwindling populations accelerates their decline and robs Scotland of one of its most iconic and irreplaceable seabirds.