Controversial guga hunt backed by Western Isles Council as new licence decision awaited
Protesters condemn tradition as cruel and unnecessary
The controversial annual hunt of hundreds of young gannets on a rocky outcrop off the Western Isles has been backed by the local authority which has warned protesters against personal attacks on those involved.
The move comes as Scottish Government agency Nature Scot considers whether to approve the latest guga hunt, an August tradition dating back some 500 years on Sula Sgeir, 40 miles north of Ness on northern tip of Lewis and on a similar latitude as Orkney.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar - Western Isles Council - said it supported the continued licensing of the hunt, which it described as a “sustainable and regulated practice that is important to the heritage of Ness and the wider Western Isles”.
It was held last year after being suspended since 2021 by bird flu. The maximum numbers of birds killed has been reduced from 2,000 to 500 to ensure the gannet population remains stable.
A letter signed by council convener Kenny Macleod, leader Paul Steele, deputy leader Duncan Macinnes and chief executive Martin Joyce, said: “Alongside crofting and fishing, the guga hunt is a traditional practice that provides low food mile produce for local consumption.
“The steps taken in 2025, with consideration for gannet numbers, ensured the hunt remained a sustainable and humane practice that produces food while protecting the gannet population of Sula Sgeir.”
However, the council said “the offensive tone of correspondence directed to Nature Scot and the people of Ness on this matter has been unacceptable.
“There can be no place in campaigns for misinformation and personal attacks. As we move to the next stage of the licensing process the protest groups opposed to the guga hunt must do better and refrain from crossing the line into the unacceptable.”
The campaign group Protect the Wild said petitions comprising more than 250,000 signatures had been gathered against the hunt, which it described as cruel, unnecessary and a threat to public health.
Its spokesperson said: “It is remarkable that the local authority charged with regulating and overseeing aspects of the guga hunt, and who have themselves acknowledged that it does not comply with food safety regulations, are now actively lobbying for its continuation.
“That is a clear conflict of interest, and it demonstrates exactly the kind of institutional bias that allows cruel and unsafe practices to persist long after they should have ended.
“Protect the Wild unequivocally condemns any violence, threats, harassment or abusive behaviour directed towards anyone involved in this issue, and we recognise that both sides of the debate have been subject to this.”
A spokesperson for Nature Scot said: “A licence application for 2026 has been received. We will assess it as required by the relevant legal frameworks and using the most recent scientific evidence.
“It will be brought to the board for a decision. A date has not yet been set for this meeting.”
An item on the agenda for the next board meeting on July 2 is listed as “Outline of process for habitat regulations and other assessment for Guga licensing application”, with the following board meeting scheduled for August 27.
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