Inshore fisheries management
Scottish inshore fisheries strategy
Fishing communities are an important and integral part of Scottish rural life. Fishing makes a valuable contribution to Scotland’s economy and is woven into Scotland’s culture and heritage. We aim to create more, better paid jobs in a strong sustainable economy, build a fairer Scotland through tackling inequalities and empower people and communities.
Our vision is to support the development of a more sustainable, profitable and well-managed inshore fisheries sector in Scotland. We aim to do this by modernising the management of our inshore fisheries in Scotland and reaping long-term sustainable rewards for the inshore sector, the marine environment and our coastal communities.
Read the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Strategy 2015.
Modernisation of the inshore fleet
The Modernisation of the Inshore Fleet programme is a Programme for Government Commitment aimed to deliver the key objectives of the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Strategy 2015. The key commitment is to more effectively monitor fishing in inshore waters by deploying appropriate and proportionate vessel tracking and Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) technology across Scotland’s commercial inshore fleet. Scotland’s scallop dredge fleet and vessels with an overall length of 12 meters and under are within the scope of the Programme.
Inshore fisheries pilots
The aim of the Inshore Fisheries Pilots initiative is to look at alternative forms of inshore fisheries management. Marine Scotland is implementing proposals developed by the commercial fishing industry, with the intention of investigating:
- a localised approach to fisheries management, where fishing interests will be involved in developing distinct local arrangements
- the consequences of separating different methods of fishing, such as creeling (e.g. static gear and mobile gear) within specified areas
Find out more about inshore fisheries pilots.
Inshore Fisheries Management and Conservation group (IFMAC)
The Inshore Fisheries Management and Conservation group (IFMAC) allows national inshore fisheries issues to be discussed by fishing and marine stakeholders. IFMAC complements the RIFG network as it focuses on national - as opposed to local - inshore issues, and covers matters relating to inshore sea areas outwith the remit of the RIFGs (e.g. the 6-12 nautical mile zone).
Regional inshore fisheries groups
Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFGs) aim to improve the management of inshore fisheries in the 0-6 nautical mile zone of Scottish waters, and to give commercial inshore fishermen a strong voice in wider marine management developments.
Scottish Inshore Fisheries Conference
The fifth Scottish Inshore Fisheries Conference took place at Eden Court, Inverness on Friday 5 October 2018.
Leaving the EU presents us with an opportunity to develop a new model of fisheries management for Scottish waters. This is a long-term commitment, and one which will rely on the involvement and collaboration of all stakeholders. The Scottish Inshore Fisheries Conference was the ideal venue to discuss this issue within the context of the inshore fishing sector.
You can read about previous inshore fisheries conferences via our archive.
Unlicensed (hobby) fishermen
From 17 April 2017 New regulations restrict the numbers of certain shellfish species that can be taken by unlicensed fishing boats on a daily basis.
Find out more about Unlicensed (Hobby) Fishermen.
Wild wrasse fishery voluntary measures
Voluntary control measures for the live capture of Scottish wild wrasse for salmon farms