A YSCS scorecard for the 2026 party manifestos
Ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections, political parties have published manifestos outlining what they would do if elected to the Scottish Parliament. We took a deep dive into these manifestos to see how each party’s priorities align with the asks in our Youth Manifesto for Scotland’s Seas:
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Ban destructive fishing in MPAs, including bottom-trawling and dredging, to safeguard sensitive species and habitats.
Properly manage and enforce MPAs, so they’re more than lines on a map.
Expand MPAs and No-Take Zones in ecologically important sites to protect biodiversity, blue carbon, and fish breeding grounds.
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Ban or limit single-use plastics and harmful plastic products, and introduce incentives or stronger policies to limit plastic use by businesses.
Hold industries accountable for fishing gear and other marine litter on our beaches, while monitoring and removing plastic from the sea.
Reduce sewage, farming, and aquaculture pollution through strict regulation, penalties, and measurable targets.
Encourage practical public action to prevent marine pollution and litter, with education in schools and communities.
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Support low-impact fisheries with subsidies and incentives, while penalising environmentally damaging and unsustainable practices.
Ensure transparent, science-based fisheries monitoring by requiring all vessels to use remote electronic systems.
Encourage shops and restaurants to sell a wider variety of fish to diversify seafood consumption.
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Embed ocean and climate education as part of the school curriculum, so every young person grows up understanding how their actions affect the sea and why a healthy marine environment is important for them.
Ensure every pupil has opportunities for hands-on marine learning.
Launch a national campaign to inform everyone how to behave responsibly in and around the sea, like Scotland’s Outdoor Access Code.
We scored each party’s manifesto using our “Scallop Scale”: a green scallop means the party’s promises closely align with the asks in our Youth Manifesto, while a red scallop means the issue is not addressed at all.
Here’s how each party compares:
#1 Scottish Greens
1) The Greens commit to “protecting and recovering our fish stocks by designating 30% of Scotland’s inshore waters as low impact fishing zones, where destructive practices including bottom trawling and scallop dredging are banned”, to “urgently consult on implementing the protective measures for the marine environment and key marine features that have already been designated in law but yet to be enacted.”, and to “support sea rewilding initiatives”.
2) The Greens promise to pause new salmon farms or the expansion of existing sites until the industry “tackles chemical and plastic pollution” and to “introduce a Clean Water Bill that will ensure all of Scotland’s rivers and lochs are clean and safe for nature, swimming and recreation.” However, their manifesto lacks a clear commitment to ban single-use plastics.
3) The Greens commit to “put coastal communities at the heart of marine management” and “redistribute fishing quotas so that wealth generated by fishing businesses is more equally distributed, sustainable practices are rewarded and coastal communities see the benefit”.
4) The Greens commit to “continue the rollout of climate justice education”, challenge climate misinformation through a sustained public information campaign”, and “maintain funding for existing climate and environmental education programmes to support educators and young people”. Though their manifesto has no mention of specific marine learning initiatives.
Read their full manifesto here.
#2 Scottish Labour
1) Labour promise to “set clear nature targets, using the powers from the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act to outline a route to nature restoration” and to "establish a Marine Recovery Fund “to deliver strategic marine and nature recovery”. However, they lack specific measures to protect marine habitats from damaging fishing practices.
2) Labour commits to “increasing monitoring of sewage overflows”, “tackling littering and waste from drinks’ containers, rolling out the deposit return scheme”, and “working with local authorities to improve recycling rates and reuse facilities”. However, their manifesto lacks targeted action on marine pollution or to limit single-use plastics.
3) Labour aims to “reform fishing quota management, supporting more local governance, incentivising more sustainable fishing practices”, “prioritise the introduction of a new Marine Plan with a spatial, as opposed to sector-specific, approach so there is clarity for offshore wind, fisheries and coastal communities” and to “support sustainable and data-informed fisheries, rolling out remote electronic monitoring and consulting on inshore marine management to protect fish stocks and marine environments”.
4) The Labour manifesto has a strong education focus (including “giving every child the chance to learn to swim”), though it has no mention of marine or environmental education.
Read their full manifesto here.
#3 Scottish Liberal Democrats
1) The Lib Dems promise to work “in close partnership with the coastal, island and fishing communities” and reject “any repeat of the top-down Highly Protected Marine Areas proposals”. They also aim to work with stakeholders “to deliver a national plan to cut whale and dolphin bycatch and reduce underwater noise”. However, their manifesto lacks clear measures to restore marine habitats and protect them from damage.
2) The Lib Dems commit to “tackle sewage dumping and introduce a Clean Water Act” and “cut down our throwaway culture, tackle plastic pollution and reduce waste” by phasing out single-use plastics, supporting repair, reuse and repurposing initiatives, introducing a deposit-return scheme, and making serious waste crime a priority. They also promise to work towards ending foreign industrial-scale gill net fishing, which is a “major source of plastic pollution in our seas - though they do not mention initiatives to reduce plastic pollution from Scottish vessels or fish farms.
3) The Lib Dems promise to “help fishermen to provide healthy high protein food, food security and sustainable management of the seas” by “making policy with up-to-date scientific evidence and data”, “addressing the impacts of spatial squeeze by striking a new settlement on space-based planning for Scotland's seas”, and “encouraging the use of regional marine plans”. Though they focus on stricter regulation on foreign vessels rather than specific actions to promote sustainable fishing.
4) The Lib Dem manifesto contains a number of education initiatives, though no mention of marine or environmental education.
Read their full manifesto here.
#4 Scottish National Party
1) The SNP promises that “ Scotland will play its full part in tackling the climate and nature emergencies”, but lacks concrete action to restore Scotland’s marine habitats and protect them from damage.
2) The SNP manifesto does not mention marine pollution or single-use plastics.
3) The SNP vows to support the fishing industry and “always champion balanced policy which both enables the sector to flourish whilst supporting improvements in the protection of our marine environment”, though they lack specific commitments to improve the regulation and sustainability of the industry.
4) The SNP manifesto includes education commitments, but does not mention marine or environmental education.
Read their full manifesto here.
#5 Scottish Conservatives
1) The Conservatives promise that “no policy is introduced that seeks to ban fishing in large parts of our seas” and that “no more government-backed rewilding projects should occur until thorough assessment of the action is carried out”.
2) The Conservative manifesto does not mention marine pollution or single-use plastics.
3) The Conservative manifesto lacks clear plans to improve sustainability in the fishing industry.
4) The Conservative manifesto includes some education-related policies, but does not mention marine or environmental education.
Read their full manifesto here.
#6 Reform UK
1) Reform promise to “scrap all SNP Net Zero related targets, subsidies and quango” and “prepare to rehabilitate North Sea gas as our primary energy system” in order to “halt the de-industrialisation of Scotland”.
2) The Reform manifesto does not mention marine pollution or single-use plastics.
3) Reform want to “reduce bureaucracy which is strangling the [fishing] sector” and “roll back on state electronic snooping on board Scottish trawlers”.
4) The Reform Manifesto has limited emphasis on education and no mention of marine or environmental education.
Read their full manifesto here.
So here are the final rankings:
The Scottish elections are on May 7th. Remember to vote with the ocean in mind.