Inshore fisheries management
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.
Modernisation of the inshore fleet
The Modernisation of the Inshore Fleet programme is a Programme for Government Commitment aimed to deliver some of the key objectives of the Future fisheries: management strategy - 2020 to 2030.
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.
Regional inshore fisheries groups
Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFGs) aim to improve the management of inshore fisheries in the 0-12 nautical mile zone of Scottish waters, and to give commercial inshore fishermen a strong voice in wider marine management developments.
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
Inshore Fisheries Management Improvement (IFMI) Programme
We have started preparatory work for our new IFMI programme during 2024. The aim of this programme is to develop a new framework for agile inshore fisheries management in Scotland. We expect this to enable us to respond more quickly to new scientific data, challenges and opportunities using a co-management approach. Our fisheries management strategy 2020-2030 outlines our commitment to working with stakeholders, and this framework offers an opportunity to strengthen existing arrangements.
The IFMI programme will consider a structure that enables;
- a greater focus on strategic decision making both regionally and nationally
- manage fishing activity within the space available
- consider how responsibility for management and delivery can be shared whilst respecting the ultimate accountability of Ministers to the Scottish Parliament and the general public
Call for evidence 2024
We published our ten week call for evidence on 26 November 2024. This evidence, along with further stakeholder engagement, will help us refine the framework proposal. We will then hold a public consultation on this final proposal in late 2025. This consultation will help us deliver an evidence-based framework which we expect to begin implementation of in late 2026.