Scottish ministers urged to rethink ‘poor decision’ on guga hunt licence

Scottish ministers are being urged to rethink a “poor decision” to grant a licence to cull hundreds of gannet chicks in the first guga hunt for four years.

Animal welfare campaigners at OneKind said the practice – known locally as the guga hunt – is “grisly” and “cruel”.

The group is urging the Scottish Government and its nature agency NatureScot to reverse the licence, which currently permits 500 of the infant birds to be culled.

The guga hunt has been an annual tradition in Ness, north Lewis, since the 15th century, with 10 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”.

A NatureScot spokesperson said it recognises the “cultural significance of the guga hunt”, adding this was “reflected in the provision to licence this traditional activity through the Wildlife and Countryside Act”.

They added that 2025 is the first year it had received a licence application from the Men of Ness – who carry out the guga hunt – since 2021.

The spokesperson continued: “We have thoroughly assessed the application taking into account survey data and population analysis and we have granted a licence with a limit of 500 birds.

“This is significantly fewer than in previous years where up to 2,000 have been granted.

“This revised limit for 2025 safeguards the sustainability of the Sula Sgeir gannet population and allows for its continued recovery following avian flu.”

However, OneKind chief executive Jason Rose said: “Snatching wild baby birds from their nests and bashing their heads in, using the excuse of tradition, will appal and embarrass most people in the Western Isles and across Scotland.

“There is simply no need for this cruel activity to take place. We live in a modern society where we have many more choices about where our food comes from.

“The guga hunt is a grisly story from history that should be left in books or a museum.

“The Scottish Government and its nature agency have made a poor decision.

“Do they really think this kind of cruel and unnecessary activity is how anyone wants Scotland to be seen in the year 2025?

“OneKind will be writing to both NatureScot and Scottish ministers asking them to rethink. It’s not too late to save these beautiful wild bird chicks.”

The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.