Scottish islanders refused permission to stage annual gannet chick hunt

Permission has been refused for the annual guga hunt on Sula Sgeir, a small uninhabited Hebridean island 40 miles north of Ness on Lewis. The decision was taken by NatureScot, Scotland's nature conservation agency, following a recommendation from its officials and voted on by its board.

A tradition spanning centuries

The guga hunt is one of Scotland's oldest surviving traditions. For centuries, a group of around ten men from the Ness area of Lewis, known as the Men of Ness, have made the sea voyage to Sula Sgeir each summer to harvest young gannet chicks, known locally as guga. Historians trace the practice back to Viking times. The birds were historically a vital source of food and nutrition for island communities on the North Atlantic coast, where rough seas made fishing hazardous and the quality of farmland was poor.

Modern hunts are tightly regulated and require a licence from NatureScot. The cultural significance of the practice is recognised under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Hunts did not take place in 2022, 2023 or 2024 due to ongoing concerns about avian influenza affecting seabird populations. In 2025, 485 birds were taken. This year, hunters applied for a licence to take either 2,000 or 500 birds.

Why permission was refused

NatureScot said it had assessed the application using the latest scientific evidence, including an updated population model commissioned specifically to evaluate the effect of the hunt on Sula Sgeir's gannet colony. Its conclusion was that an adverse impact was possible at both the requested limits of 2,000 and 500 birds. Sula Sgeir and nearby North Rona are designated Special Protection Areas due to their seabird populations, which include fulmars as well as gannets.

The Scottish Seabird Centre supported the decision, with its conservation manager noting that gannet populations have suffered significant declines and that many colonies are still recovering from the impacts of avian influenza. More than 106,000 people had signed a petition calling on the Scottish government to prohibit the hunt outright.

Reactions from both sides

Animal welfare campaigners welcomed the decision. Devon Docherty of Protect the Wild called it a victory for compassion, science and common sense, saying thousands of young seabirds had been spared from a brutal death. OneKind chief executive Jason Rose said he was relieved that gannet lives would be spared this season.

Supporters of the hunt responded with anger. Agnes Rennie, chair of the local community land group for north Lewis, called the hunt a centuries-old tradition that reinforces communal identity and keeps ancient Gaelic customs alive. Murdo MacRitchie of the Save Our Guga Harvest group said the community had been bullied and abused by campaigners, and that NatureScot's decision risked rewarding that behaviour. He argued that the population projections for Sula Sgeir's gannets were positive and that refusing a harvest of 500 birds was unjustifiable.

NatureScot confirmed that its decision does not permanently prohibit the hunt, and that the Men of Ness may apply for a licence in future years.