Scottish islanders denied permission for annual guga hunt

The centuries-old tradition of hunting young gannets, known as guga, on the remote Hebridean island of Sula Sgeir has been halted this year. Public agency NatureScot refused to grant a license for the hunt, citing concerns over the impact on the gannet population. This decision has drawn praise from animal welfare groups but has also led to accusations of "bullying" against a small island community.

The guga hunt has been a practice for generations, dating back to the Viking era, according to historian Donald S Murray. For the Men of Ness on the Isle of Lewis, the hunt was a matter of survival, providing a vital food source in an area where fishing was hazardous and arable land was scarce. Historically, seabird hunting was common in other parts of Scotland, including Orkney and Shetland, and on St Kilda, where birds were used for meat, oil, and feathers.

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geographical difficulties

Modern hunts require a license from NatureScot. The agency's board made the decision to refuse this year's application following official recommendations. The traditional method involves hunters using long poles with nooses to catch chicks in their nests before killing them, often with a blow to the head. The birds are then gutted, plucked, and salted on Sula Sgeir before being transported to Lewis.

Opponents of the hunt argue that it is no longer necessary for sustenance and that the method of killing the chicks is cruel. Descriptions of the meat's taste vary widely, from a cross between kipper and steak to "rotten leather and fishy beef." The refusal marks a significant shift for Scotland's last remaining guga hunt, a practice deeply intertwined with the history and survival of communities on the North Atlantic coast.

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It was a case of survival