MSPs trying to secure greater protection in law for seals
According to BBC News, the Greens' call for killings only to happen outside the breeding season has been backed by naturalist Terry Nutkins and Queen guitarist Brian May.
Labour's Elaine Murray has also tabled an amendment asking that non-lethal alternatives to protecting fish farms from seals be exhausted before a licence is granted to shoot the animals, the news source wrote.
Green MSP Robin Harper told BBC that the new bill could potentially be one of the parliament's "finest hours", but would need to include rigorous protection for wildlife.
Last year, Harper claimed an emergency ban on the shooting of common seals was needed to halt an alarming drop in their population. At the time he said studies had revealed between 3,000 and 5,000 of the seals were shot each year, although the government said it believed fewer than 1,000 seals were shot annually.
