Animal welfare campaigners have welcomed the decision by NatureScot to recommend that a licence not be granted for this year’s guga hunt on a remote Scottish island.
The decision has been described as a “landmark moment in the fight to end the annual killing of young gannets”.
The guga hunt has been an annual tradition in Ness, north Lewis, since the 15th century, with ten men setting out for the rocky island of Sula Sgeir 40 miles away.
Uninhabited by humans, the island is home to thousands of pairs of breeding gannets, with the men spending two weeks there in August, taking the birds from open cliffs using a pole and noose, before the creatures are gutted, salted and preserved in brine.
Traditionally, the preserved birds are said to have formed an essential part of the winter diet for the people of Ness, but guga is now regarded as a delicacy by some, although it is said to be an “acquired taste”.
Papers released ahead of a NatureScot board meeting next week have revealed that the organisation has recommended that the hunt not go ahead on conservation grounds to allow the population to recover following bird flu.
The paper published by NatureScot said the organisation “recognises the strength of feeling expressed by a wide range of stakeholders on animal welfare aspects”.
It added: “In assessing the 2026 application, we have considered whether the proposed activity is likely to constitute any offences under relevant legislation”.
OneKind chief executive Jason Rose said: “Since the licensing of the hunt resumed last summer, OneKind has calmly and clearly made the case for this grisly piece of history to be retired, as no animal should ever have to suffer in the name of human tradition.
“The recommendation to the NatureScot board is clear and shows what is possible when constructive engagement is sought and considered evidence is presented – a way of making progress for animals that has seen OneKind lead the way over many years.
“Our focus has always been each young gannet, their parents, and the whole community of birds on Sula Sgeir, who are being traumatised in the name of tradition.
“The welfare of each individual gannet matters, and it is encouraging that NatureScot considered animal welfare advice as part of this decision.
“There are ways we can remember this historic practice, but with kindness rather than causing stress, suffering and pain to hundreds, even thousands of individuals, families and a whole community of fellow living beings.
“We should seek to live in harmony with the wild animals of wild places such as Sula Sgeir, and that means living side by side, not imposing our will for no good reason.
“OneKind held early discussions last year with NatureScot and we shared our report with community leaders in the Western Isles. We hope today’s paper is acted on by the board, but even so it is only the first step.
“NatureScot has not ruled out allowing the guga hunt in future years. We still need the Scottish Government to act, to close the legal loophole that allows this hunt in the first place.
“We will keep working toward a Scotland where every young gannet gets the chance to grow up and life a full life, free from suffering.”
NatureScot approved a licence application from the Men of Ness, who carry out the guga hunt, last year with a limit of 500 birds.
They said the revised limit, down from 2,000 in previous years, safeguarded the Sula Sgeir gannet population and allowed for its recovery following avian flu.
However, the decision to allow the hunt to go ahead for the first time in four years drew criticism from campaigners and led to vandalism of NatureScot’s Inverness headquarters.
More than £110,000 of public money has been spent improving security and repairing damage at the government building targeted by activists.
In response to a Freedom of Information inquiry, the agency said it had to spend £84,708 on employing an on-site security guard. The bill for repairing damage was put at more than £5,800.
Other costs included applying “anti-climb paint”, upgrading CCTV and legal fees.
A petition urging the Scottish Government to change the law allowing the guga hunt was started by wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby and has gathered over 105,000 signatures.
NatureScot’s is due to make the final decision on the licence on August 3.
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