Fishing boats will be banned from dredging, trawling and creeling for shellfish in the Clyde for nearly three months this spring in a bid to boost fish stock recovery.

The Scottish government has announced it will remove customary exemptions to a seasonal ban on whitefish catches in the region that has been in place for 20 years.

But industry leaders have condemned the ban, which they say will have a serious impact on crews who depend on the region for their livelihoods.

A statement from Marine Scotland said the closure of the Firth of Clyde – an important spawning ground for cod – to fishermen between February 14 and April 30 will continue into 2022 and 2023.

It said: ‘Since its introduction, the Scottish statutory instrument for the annual spawning ground closure has included exemptions to allow Nephrops trawlers, traps and scallop dredges to continue to use the area, due to low numbers of cod they catch,” the statement said.

“However, despite the ongoing seasonal shutdown, the stock has shown little sign of recovery, so the Scottish Government has removed these exemptions to maximize numbers.

“This represents a change from our previous position – for good environmental and biodiversity reasons.”

Scottish Anglers Federation (SFF) chief executive Elspeth Macdonald said the news was devastating for anglers.

She said: “[Friday’s] The Scottish Government’s announcement will be devastating news for those who make a living fishing in the Clyde and have little or no other options during the lockdown.

“For several years we have engaged constructively with the Scottish Government on the interactions between fisheries and marine conservation, and there are good examples where this approach has served all parties well and led to the desired results.”

The SSF accused the Scottish government of failing to provide evidence before announcing the ban.

They also expressed concern that it could set “a dangerous precedent” for future fisheries management and marine conservation.

Ms Macdonald said decisions are usually made through “a clear and logical process”, but that was not the case for the Clyde.

She added: “The Scottish Government’s sloppy handling of this specific issue has only served to undermine our confidence in this process.”

But sustainable fishing campaigners have welcomed the increased restrictions as a “small step” towards protecting critical fish habitats.

Phil Taylor, head of policy at Open Seas, said the government’s approach was “brutal”, but necessary.

He said: “For 20 years, bottom towed fishing has risked damaging areas of seabed which are essential for the recovery of the collapsed west coast of Scotland cod stocks.

“By removing these exemptions, the Scottish Government has corrected a long-standing fault in the management of fisheries in the Clyde.

“If we really want to restore our marine ecosystems, sustainable fishing must be safeguarded, encouraged and encouraged.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘During spawning, cod are extremely vulnerable to any activity that impacts the seabed and limiting physical disturbance during the spawning period will minimize disturbance to the spawning environment and will promote the reproduction of cod.

“We are aware that this will have a short term impact on local fishermen, but acting now to try to rebuild the stock in the longer term is also beneficial for the fishery.”