Scottish Offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) - fisheries management measures: final business regulatory impact assessment

Introduction

The Scottish Government is implementing fisheries management measures at 10 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and 10 Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NCMPAs) within the Scottish offshore region. The sites in question have been designated following MPA selection guidelines and been assigned site specific conservation objectives. The aim of this policy is to manage the Marine Protected Area (MPAs) in the Scottish offshore region in a way that conservation objectives can be achieved, and support sustainable use of our marine environment.

The Scottish Government have assessed the three following options, each presenting differing levels of management.

Option 1 represents fisheries management measures that have been informed with the best available evidence and advice from the appropriate Statutory Nature Conservation Body and developed with the fishing industry and Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (eNGOs). These measures have been developed with a focus on protecting features to enable conservation objectives to be met whilst allowing sustainable fishing activity and practices to continue alongside. Gears requiring management were identified from advice and evidence provided by JNCC and supported by findings within the Fisheries Assessments undertaken for each site.

Option 2 restricts specified fishing activity from the full site. Gears requiring management were identified from advice and evidence provided by JNCC and supported by findings within the Fisheries Assessments undertaken for each site. This option does not account for the geographic distribution of features and presents a greater level of environmental protection through greater levels of fisheries restrictions. For most sites, this second option is assessed as having higher socio-economic impacts in comparison to Option 1.

Option 3 is no additional management. In the absence of the proposed measures a significant amount of Scotland’s offshore marine species and habitats within protected areas are at risk to potentially damaging fishing activity, existing fisheries measures excepted. Under this option, damage to protected features may occur, and therefore site conservation objectives would not be achieved.

This BRIA assesses the estimated benefits and costs for each policy option. The benefits that are expected to arise are primarily in the form of ecosystem service benefits. Costs have been estimated in terms of ecosystem service costs, public sector costs, non-quantifiable costs, and impacts to commercial fisheries (GVA impact, FTE employment, loss in value of landings).