Fisheries Management Measures within Scottish Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) Management Areas - High level Site Summary Details and Potential Impacts of Proposed Fisheries Management Measures

1. Introduction

The Scottish Government has made a long-term commitment to support the sustainable management of the marine environment. This includes developing and implementing a coherent network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and to protect the 11 Priority Marine Features (PMFs) that are most vulnerable to demersal mobile fishing gear outside of the MPA network. The aim of this policy is to benefit the conservation of vulnerable and characteristic marine species and features in Scottish waters.

This document provides supporting information for the consultation on proposed fisheries management measures within Scottish inshore MPAs and proposed PMF management areas. The consultation includes measures for sites designated as Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NCMPAs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs), and measures for proposed PMF management areas. Throughout this document NCMPAs, SACs and SPAs can also be referred to collectively as MPAs or sites. The proposed PMF management areas can also be referred to as areas.

High level summaries are provided for each MPA, three of which overlap into offshore for which fisheries management measures have been developed for consultation, and for each proposed PMF management area. This information includes the protected features, PMFs, maps of the proposed fisheries management measures and the estimated socio-economic and environmental impacts associated with the measures. The proposed measures have been developed through extensive consultation with stakeholders, including the fishing industry, environmental non-governmental organisations and conservation and management advice from the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCB) NatureScot and Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).

The proposed fisheries management measures under consideration have been developed using the best available scientific evidence on the risk to designated features and the 11 PMFs identified as being most sensitive to bottom contacting mobile fishing gear. Across all Scottish Marine Regions (SMRs), where options for fisheries management measures have been developed, there will be two management options proposed where possible to be consulted on.

MPAs:

The proposed fisheries management measures under consideration have been developed based on conservation and management advice, it is proposed that certain gears are restricted within the site to protect the designated features. Where possible, zoned and temporal measures are used, or measures that apply only to vessels above a certain engine power.

For the majority of sites (53 out of 76), there are two options presented. For the remaining 23 sites, only a full site restriction, single management option, is proposed. This is the case where only one option was identified as enabling the achievement of the desired level of protection for the feature in question.

• Option 1 - zonal management measures for specified gears. These measures may be seasonal and there are also measures that only apply to vessels over a certain engine power.
• Option 2 - measures restricting specified fishing gears across the full site for the whole year.

PMF management areas:

Both options propose full area closures to all demersal mobile gear. 44 out of 90 areas have a single management option proposed. Only one option was identified for these 44 proposed PMF management areas due to one of, or combination of, evidence (fishing activity or PMF related), boundary setting principles and compliance considerations.

• Option 1 - reflects a smaller footprint that reflects one, or a combination of evidence (fishing activity or PMF related), boundary setting principles and compliance considerations
• Option 2 - reflects a larger footprint that offers improved protection

Consulting on these options provides the public with an opportunity to consider and comment on the proposed fisheries management measures and the range of estimated environmental and socio-economic impacts associated with each management option.