The Scottish government has a plan in place if the Loch Ness Monster is captured.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) prepared the "partly serious, partly fun" code of practice in 2001 amid a period of intense interest in Nessie.

This year's interest has been piqued by scientists gathering DNA from the loch, and Scotland's first minister saying she believes there is a monster.

SNH said it would "dust off" the plan if Nessie was discovered.

The code of practice was drawn up to offer protection to new species found in the loch, including a monster.

It stipulates that a DNA sample should be taken from any new creature, and then it should be released back into the loch.

The story of the monster can be traced back 1,500 years when Irish missionary St Columba is said to have encountered a beast in the River Ness in 565AD.

Later, in the 1930s, The Inverness Courier reported the first modern sighting of Nessie.
The creature's appearance has been described as resembling a plesiosaur, a creature that died out with the dinosaurs.

Nick Halfhide, of SNH, an organisation that promotes Scottish wildlife and natural habitats, said the 17-year-old code of practice remained relevant today.

Great BBC Three Doc. I Believe in Ghosts - Joe Swash (videos)

This show aired on BBC Three in May 2010, I happened to catch on late night TV in the US last year, and I must say it is an honest documentary on a skeptical person wanting to find out what is out there. It's cleverly done and the soundtrack is actually amazing. Check it out. Enjoy.

Description: EastEnders actor Joe Swash turns ghostbuster and sets out in search of tangible proof that ghosts exist. He meets Britain's youngest professional psychic, who claims he has a hotline to the spirit world, sleeps in a haunted bedroom to lure an amorous spirit and stakes out a terrace house in Hartlepool where the family say they're sharing their home with at least four ghostly inhabitants. But it's a night alone in the Edinburgh vaults that makes Joe convinced he really believes in ghosts.

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