Rachel Bigsby's Guga Hunt Petition Saves A Generation of Seabirds
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Scotland's most supported parliamentary petition has reached its first major milestone, but the campaign to permanently protect the Gannets of Sula Sgeir is far from over.
One year ago, award-winning seabird photographer, Rachel Bigsby, launched Scottish Parliament Petition PE2202, calling for an end to the annual Guga Hunt on the remote island of Sula Sgeir. This week, NatureScot officially refused the 2026 licence application to kill Northern Gannet chicks on conservation grounds, concluding that it could not rule out an adverse effect on the internationally important breeding colony. It is the first time in modern history that a licence application has been refused following such an extensive scientific assessment.
Following the news, Rachel said:
"My petition became the catalyst for new scientific modelling, welfare assessments, Freedom of Information investigations and unprecedented public scrutiny. Before the petition gained momentum, support was almost impossible to find. As public awareness grew, organisations, scientists and charities were forced to join the conversation, helping build the evidence that ultimately informed today's decision. One of the greatest lessons this journey has taught me is that institutions don't always lead change. Often, they follow it. Sometimes it takes one person asking an uncomfortable question before everyone else feels able to engage. Today, more than 106,000 voices stand behind me, and until the law changes, those voices are still needed."
What is the Guga Hunt?
For centuries, a small party of men from the Isle of Lewis has travelled each summer to the isolated island of Sula Sgeir to harvest young Northern Gannets, known locally as guga, for human consumption. As directly quoted from the 2026 license application:
"The juvenile Gannets are captured using a traditional method specific to the Guga Harvest. The lead member of each squad operates a fibreglass rod fitted with a clamp mechanism controlled by a draw rope. The clamp is used to secure the bird around the neck area momentarily and the bird is immediately drawn back towards the other members of the squad. Once captured, the bird is transferred immediately to the second member of the squad who carries a traditional wooden dispatching bat known as a "Caman". The bird is removed from the clamp within approximately two seconds of capture. A single swift strike is then delivered to the head with the intention of immediately rendering the bird unconscious and, in most cases, causing instantaneous death. The bird is then passed to another member of the squad who removes the head using a blade before positioning the bird in a certain manner to allow its blood to drain freely".
Each year, NatureScot has had the power to issue a licence under a unique exemption within the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, allowing the killing of Gannets that would otherwise be fully protected throughout Scotland. For Rachel, whose career has been dedicated to documenting seabirds, the decision to challenge the hunt followed the devastating impacts of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which claimed hundreds of thousands of seabirds across Britain and Ireland, with some Scottish Gannet colonies losing more than half of their breeding adults. Against that backdrop, she believed the continued licensed killing of healthy Gannet chicks could no longer be justified.
In a recent statement following Nature Scot's decision to refuse a license, Rachel Bigsby said:
"Over the past year, I've devoted every spare hour of my life to this campaign because I simply couldn't stand by while another generation of Gannets faced unnecessary harm. For a long time, I tried to understand the cultural significance of the Guga Hunt. I still believed it was morally and ethically wrong, but I also recognised that history deserves to be understood and respected. I was the first person to publicly suggest ways that this cultural heritage could continue with non-lethal methods. I even sat down with NatureScot to formally propose non-lethal alternatives, including producing a documentary that would preserve the traditions, stories and history of the Men of Ness for future generations. Then I saw the footage. A now-deleted video from 2021 captured members of the hunting party holding a sack race through the breeding colony using the same sacks intended to carry the bodies of dead Gannets. The video was titled 'Time for Some Fun.' Young, flightless Gannets scattered in panic as the men ran towards them. NatureScot's own licence conditions require unnecessary disturbance to be avoided. Watching that footage confirmed that my empathy had been misplaced, and what my instincts had been telling me from the very beginning. This is not the solemn cultural tradition I had tried so hard to understand. It is a protected seabird colony being disturbed for entertainment and recreational fun. This is not conservation. It is not necessity. It is a bloodsport. And it must end."
The Petition That Changed the Conversation
When PE2202 was launched, the Guga Hunt received no contemporary scientific, regulatory or public scrutiny. Over the following twelve months, the petition became the most supported petition in the history of the Scottish Parliament's online petitions platform, attracting more than 106,000 signatures and reaching an estimated two million people worldwide through international media coverage. More importantly, it changed the conversation. The campaign triggered one of the most comprehensive examinations of the Guga Hunt in its history.
A new scientific assessmentNatureScot commissioned a completely new Population Viability Analysis in 2026, replacing previous modelling from 2016 and, for the first time, incorporated cumulative environmental pressures alongside the long-term effects of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Using the model's most robust assessment, NatureScot concluded that no harvest in 2026 was the only scenario consistent with achieving the conservation objectives for the Sula Sgeir Gannet colony. That conclusion ultimately formed the scientific basis for refusing the licence.
Animal welfare received unprecedented scrutinyFor the first time, significant attention was given to the welfare implications of the authorised killing method.
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission examined the hunt alongside wider public concern over whether manually killing large numbers of Gannet chicks using clubs could meet modern expectations of animal welfare. Questions surrounding operator fatigue, consistency of killing methods and the absence of independent welfare oversight became central to the debate. As a result, the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission concluded in a letter to the Cabinet Secretary that they are "unaware of a humane way to dispatch guga that is feasible under the conditions that prevail on the island, and we urge consideration of the wider animal welfare implications of the disturbance for all the birds nesting in or near the vicinity of the hunt".
Freedom of Information investigations exposed weaknesses in monitoringFreedom of Information requests submitted throughout the campaign revealed significant shortcomings within the licensing system. Historical licence conditions relating to killing methods had not been independently monitored. No independent observer is present on Sula Sgeir during the hunt. Compliance with licence conditions relies largely upon self-reporting by licence holders. The campaign therefore shifted the debate beyond whether the hunt was lawful to whether the licensing system itself could adequately demonstrate compliance.
The conservation impacts proved wider than Gannets aloneEvidence gathered during the campaign also highlighted concerns for non-target species breeding on Sula Sgeir. NatureScot's own assessments recognised that licensed activities would inevitably disturb breeding seabirds and acknowledged potential impacts on species including Northern Fulmar, European Storm-petrel and the red-listed Leach's Storm-petrel. Rachel's petition therefore transformed the discussion from one focused solely on harvested Gannets into one considering the ecological integrity of the island as a whole.
Parliamentary scrutiny unlike any beforeThroughout the year, the Scottish Parliament repeatedly considered PE2202, which still remains under consideration. Scientists, charities, members of the public, government agencies and conservation organisations submitted evidence, turning what had historically been treated as an annual licensing exercise into a national discussion about conservation, animal welfare and cultural heritage.
What Happens Next?
NatureScot's refusal means the Guga Hunt cannot take place in 2026. However, the legal exemption allowing future licence applications remains within Scottish law. Rachel's petition therefore continues to call upon the Scottish Parliament to permanently remove that exemption, ensuring that the Gannets of Sula Sgeir receive the same lasting protection as every other Gannet colony in Scotland. NatureScot has protected the birds this year. Only the Scottish Parliament can protect them forever.
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