The report says management issues must be resolved

The report entitled The Tangle of the Clyde suggests that confusion makes it difficult to balance the needs of fisheries and marine tourism.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust and WWF Scotland have launched a joint marine programme to tackle the problem.

At present, 13 UK bodies have marine responsibilities in coastal areas.

The report, published jointly by the two organisations, claims coastal communities are being damaged because of an inability to effectively deal with the problem.

A marine act for Scotland would resolve many of the chronic problems of the coastal strip where current legislation is frankly inadequate Dr Rebecca Boyd

It also highlights the economic importance of coastal tourism, which it claims contributes an annual �375m to the Scottish economy.

Dr Rebecca Boyd, joint marine programme officer, said that although the report focused on Clyde management, its failures could spread to Scotland's other coastal areas.

"A marine act for Scotland would resolve many of the chronic problems of the coastal strip where current legislation is frankly inadequate and unable to cope with the spiralling pressures on the marine environment," she said.

Simon Pepper, WWF Scotland director, criticised the "haphazard approach" to the problem.

He said: "As 70% of the planet is covered in water, the protection of the seas is one of the greatest global conservation issues.

'Spiralling pollution'

"On land we have realised the need to monitor, manage and implement policies to protect the environment from degradation and over-exploitation."

Scottish Wildlife Trust chief executive Steve Sankey said the country boasted 14 internationally important coastal and marine habitats.

"The Clyde itself boasts one of the largest breeding colonies of gannets in the UK, as well as the presence of basking shark," he said.

"Yet we continue to threaten this unique biodiversity with spiralling levels of pollution, shipping, oil and gas exploration, toxic waste, disturbance and mismanagement."