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Publication - Factsheet

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

Published
14 September 2026
From
Director of Marine
Directorate
Marine Directorate
Topic
Environment and climate change, Marine and fisheries
ISBN
9781806432943

Overview of site and area details and potential impacts of the proposed fisheries management measures within Scottish Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas

Supporting documents

9. Clyde Scottish Marine Region MPAs

Due to the complexity and large number of areas and sites, ecosystem services data has been produced at a regional level, allowing for a more consistent assessment across wider geographical scales while still capturing key variations in ecological, social, and economic value.

Table 11: Estimated Ecosystem Service Impacts of proposed fisheries management measures (over 20 years) for Clyde Region

Total value of changes in ecosystem services

Option 1 Min

Option 1 Max

Option 2 Min

Option 2 Max

Benefits

Low

Low

Low - Moderate

Low - Moderate

Costs

Minimal - Low

Low

Low

Low

Net Impacts

Neutral

Neutral

Small benefit

Small benefit

9.1. Site: Clyde Sea Sill NCMPA

Protected features:

  • Black guillemot
  • Circalittoral and offshore sand and coarse sediment communities
  • Fronts
  • Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed

Fronts and Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed are not discussed further as they are not a protected feature for which fisheries management measures are required.

Feature conditions:

  • Black guillemot - Unfavourable
  • Circalittoral and offshore sand and coarse sediment communities - Favourable

Conservation objectives:

  • Black guillemot - Recover
  • Circalittoral and offshore sand and coarse sediment communities - Conserve

The proposed management measures for Clyde Sea Sill NCMPA are as follows.

Option 1:

  • Full site closure to beam trawls, set nets (includes fyke nets) and hydraulic dredge
  • Mechanical dredges prohibited in part of the site

Figure 28. Map of measures proposed under option 1:

Option 1 map shows Clyde Sea Sill Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (NCMPA), an area covering the waters between the southern Mull of Kintyre and Corsewall Point. Circalittoral and offshore sand and coarse sediment communities cover much of the centre of the NCMPA. Hydraulic dredge, set nets (including fyke nets), and beam trawls are prohibited throughout the area. Mechanical dredges are prohibited in an area covering the northeast of the NCMPA.

Option 2:

  • Full site closure to beam trawls, set nets (includes fyke nets), hydraulic dredge and mechanical dredge.

Figure 29. Map of measures proposed under option 2:

Option 2 map shows Clyde Sea Sill Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (NCMPA), an area covering the waters between the southern Mull of Kintyre and Corsewall Point. Circalittoral and offshore sand and coarse sediment communities cover much of the centre of the NCMPA. Across the full area hydraulic dredges, set nets (including fyke nets), beam trawls and mechanical dredge are prohibited.
Table 12: Estimated Socio-economic impacts of proposed measures for Clyde Sea Sill NCMPA

Socio-Economic Impact

Option 1

Option 2

Average annual loss in value of landings (£000s, 2022 prices)

0 - 69.6

306 – 306

Direct + indirect reduction in GVA (PV) impact (£000s) 20 years

0 - 515.2

2,269.8 - 2,269.8

Average (mean) number of direct + indirect jobs (year on year, over 20 years), Full Time Equivalents

0 - 0.8

3.5 - 3.5
Table 13: Estimated Environmental impacts of proposed fisheries management measures for Clyde Sea Sill NCMPA

Environmental Impact

Option 1

Option 2

Benefits within the sites/areas

Major beneficial

Major beneficial

Spill over benefits

Negligible beneficial

Negligible beneficial

Displacement effects

Negligible adverse

Negligible adverse

Effects from other gear types

None

None

Estimated overall environmental impact

Benefit

Benefit

9.2. Site: Ailsa Craig SPA

Protected features:

  • Gannet - breeding
  • Guillemot - breeding
  • Herring Gull - breeding
  • Kittiwake - breeding
  • Lesser black-backed gull - breeding

Feature conditions:

  • Gannet - Favourable
  • Guillemot - Favourable
  • Herring Gull - Unfavourable
  • Kittiwake - Unfavourable
  • Lesser black-backed gull - Unfavourable

Conservation objectives:

  • Gannet - Maintain
  • Guillemot - Maintain
  • Herring Gull - Restore
  • Kittiwake - Restore
  • Lesser black-backed gull - Restore

The proposed management measures for Ailsa Craig SPA are as follows.

Option 1:

  • Set nets (including fyke nets) prohibited from February till end of September in areas shallower than 34m based on presence and maximum dive depth for gannet.
  • Demersal set nets (including fyke nets) prohibited from February until the end of August in areas deeper than 34m but shallower than 177m, based on presence and maximum dive depth of guillemot, and pelagic set nets prohibited February till end of September, in the same area based on presence of gannet.
  • Full site closure to longlines (until technical measures come into force) and hydraulic dredge.

Figure 30. Map of measures proposed under option 1:

Map shows boundaries of Ailsa Crag SPA forming a square around the island. An area shallower than 34m immediately surrounds the island, stretching slightly further to the southwest, where set nets (including fyke nets) are prohibited February till end of September. The remainder of the area is deeper than 34m, where demersal set nets (including fyke nets) are prohibited February till end of August and pelagic set nets are prohibited February to end of September. Hydraulic dredges and longlines (until technical measures come into force) are prohibited throughout.

Option 2:

  • Full site closure to longlines (until technical measures come into force), set nets (including fyke nets) and hydraulic dredge

Figure 31. Map of measures proposed under option 2:

Map shows boundaries of Ailsa Crag SPA forming a square around the island. Set nets (including fyke nets), longlines (until technical measures come into force), and hydraulic dredges are prohibited throughout the whole site.

Estimated Socio-economic impacts of proposed measures for Ailsa Craig SPA

No socio-economic impacts are anticipated for this site, based on available data in relation to:

  • Average annual loss in value of landings (£000s, 2022 prices)
  • Direct + indirect reduction in GVA (PV) impact (£000s) 20 years
  • Average (mean) number of direct + indirect jobs (year on year, over 20 years), Full Time Equivalents
Table 14: Estimated Environmental impacts of proposed fisheries management measures for Ailsa Craig SPA

Environmental Impact

Option 1

Option 2

Benefits within the sites/areas

Moderate beneficial

Moderate beneficial

Spill over benefits

None

None

Displacement effects

None

None

Effects from other gear types

None

None

Estimated overall environmental impact

Benefit

Benefit

Contact

Email: marine_biodiversity@gov.scot

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