Animal-rights activists aiming to end the centuries-old practice of the Guga Harvest by the Men of Ness have enacted a "noisy protest" at the door of Nature Scot in an attempt to influence the decision by the harvest licensing body.
Today’s attempt by Protect the Wild to influence and undermine the application to conduct the guga harvest comes weeks ahead of the Board's decision on whether to licence the harvest or not on 3 August 2026.
The Guga hunt involves hunters travelling to the remote island of Sula Sgeir, around 40 miles north of the Isle of Lewis, where young Gannets are taken as a traditional delicacy.
Protect the Wild reported today (15 July) that "a noisy protest erupted outside the Biodiversity + Business Live conference at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh this morning, as campaigners challenged NatureScot over its role in licensing the controversial Guga hunt".
From 8am, protesters were said to have gathered with placards and megaphones outside the conference, which is being co-hosted by NatureScot.
Delegates arriving for the conference, including Scottish Government ministers and UK business leaders, were met by protesters criticising Nature Scot as they entered the building.
