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.

Testing of DNA samples may provide the truth about the Loch Ness Monster

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The stories seem as tall as the lake is deep. For hundreds of years, visitors to Scotland's Loch Ness have described seeing a monster that some believe lurks in the depths.

But now the legend of "Nessie" may have no place left to hide. A New Zealand scientist is leading an international team to the lake next month, where they will take samples of the murky waters and conduct DNA tests to determine what species live there.

University of Otago professor Neil Gemmell says he's no believer in Nessie, but he wants to take people on an adventure and communicate some science along the way. Besides, he says, his kids think it's one of the coolest things he's ever done.

One of the more far-fetched theories is that Nessie is a long-necked plesiosaur that somehow survived the period when dinosaurs became extinct. Another theory is that the monster is actually a sturgeon or giant catfish. Many believe the sightings are hoaxes or can be explained by floating logs or strong winds.