FRESH concerns have been raised about Scotland’s traditional “guga hunt” after newly surfaced footage showed people taking part in a sack-race through the seabirds’ breeding ground.
The hunt is an annual event dating back to the 1400s which sees men from Ness, in Lewis, travel to the uninhabited islet of Sula Sgeir to trap young gannets ("gugas") for food. Government agency NatureScot granted a licence for 500 young birds to be taken in 2025 , and its board is set to make a decision on a 2026 licence on August 3.
However, the agency is now taking "action" after a newly unearthed video, which was uploaded to YouTube but then deleted, shows three men sack-racing on the remote island with the words “some time for fun” on the screen.
Campaigners have said that the licence conditions which oblige guga hunters to avoid unnecessary disturbance to the gannet colony have been breached, pointing to the now-deleted video as evidence.
Wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby – who submitted a Scottish Parliament petition calling for an end to the guga hunt – said: "This is not solemn cultural observance. It is not necessity. It is not stewardship. It is the recreational disturbance of a protected breeding colony for entertainment.”
She went on: “After a year of being told that this hunt must be understood and defended as a serious cultural tradition, this footage makes that justification extraordinarily difficult to accept.
"The deletion of the original video raises further questions. Had this footage not surfaced, would NatureScot, the Scottish Parliament, or the public ever have known?"
This now deleted video shows a shocking disregard for the welfare of the Gannets. But then again, were the Guga hunters ever going to respect their victims? pic.twitter.com/efy8AQo9Z0
— Protect the Wild (@ProtectTheWild_) July 25, 2026
Devon Docherty, Scottish campaigns manager at Protect the Wild – the campaign group which unearthed the video – added: “The shocking disregard for the gannets’ welfare shown in this footage suggests a desensitisation to suffering that is deeply disturbing. The birds are obviously very scared, but the hunters just don’t seem to care. In fact, they’re having fun.
"We shouldn't underestimate the impact of this sort of behaviour on breeding seabirds – it could cause adults to abandon their nest and chicks to starve to death. That's if they survive being killed by the guga hunters first.
“If this is the standard of care on public display, it raises serious questions about what these birds endure when they are being handled and killed out of sight.”
A NatureScot spokesperson said: “We have reviewed the footage and we are taking action to follow this up. This includes gathering further information which will inform any future licencing decisions.
“We thank Protect the Wild for bringing this footage to our attention.”
Sula Sgeir is a protected nature site designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its seabird colonies. However, there are special carve-outs in the law, including for the guga hunt.
The agency has further said: “We understand there are strong feelings about the guga hunt, and that some people will disagree with it taking place.
“The hunt is recognised in law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which makes specific provision for the granting of a licence for the purpose of providing food for human consumption in relation to the gannets on the island of Sula Sgeir. Our role is to make licensing decisions based on the most recent scientific evidence.
“In 2025, we received our first licence application from the Men of Ness since 2021. After reviewing the survey data, collected in 2024 following bird flu outbreaks, we reduced the maximum number of birds that can be taken from 2000 to 500 and a licence was granted on the condition that all birds must be killed humanely. This ensures the gannet population on Sula Sgeir remains stable for the future. The 2025 licence has now expired.
“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 and make our determination of the application on August 3.”
