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

7. Argyll 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.

7.1. Site: Sea of the Hebrides NCMPA

Protected features:

• Basking Shark
• Fronts
• Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed (Inner Hebrides Carbonate Production Area).
• Minke Whale

Fronts are not discussed further as they are not a protected feature for which fisheries management measures are required.

Feature conditions:

• Basking Shark - Favourable

• Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed (Inner Hebrides Carbonate Production Area) - Favourable

• Minke Whale - Favourable

Conservation objectives:

• Basking Shark - Conserve

• Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Seabed (Inner Hebrides Carbonate Production Area) – Conserve

• Minke Whale - Conserve

Option 1:*

The descriptions in bold text e.g. Hatching 1, refer to the symbology used in the maps that follow the description of the measures for each option. The proposed management measures for Sea of the Hebrides NCMPA are as follows:

• Set nets (not including fyke nets) prohibited from April till the end of October. (Hatching 1)

• Set nets (not including fyke nets and tangle nets) prohibited from April till the end of October (Hatching 2)

Additional measures from overlapping sites that are included as part of this consultation and overlapping sites that already have measures in place that are for the same fishing gear types

• Set nets (including fyke nets) prohibited in overlapping areas with Coll and Tiree SPA and West Coast of the Outer Hebrides SPA shallower than 60m, based on maximum dive depth of eider, and the Small Isles NCMPA (includes part of Canna and Sanday SPA) that doesn’t overlap with the Rum SPA (Hatching 3)

• Demersal set nets prohibited from April till the end of October. Pelagic set nets prohibited in overlapping areas with Coll and Tiree SPA that are deeper than 60m, based on presence of eider (Fill 4)

• Longlines (until technical measures come into force) and set nets (including fyke nets) prohibited in overlapping areas with Rum SPA (includes part of Canna and Sanday SPA) and Mingulay and Berneray SPA. (Hatching 5)

• Set nets (including fyke nets) and hydraulic dredge already prohibited through overlaps with current designations, East Mingulay SAC, Treshnish Isles SAC and Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura NCMPA, that already have management measures in place (Fill 6)

• Set nets (not including fyke nets) prohibited in overlapping area with the Inner Hebrides and the Minches SAC (Hatching 7)

• Set nets except tangle nets and fyke nets prohibited in tangle net exemption area that overlaps with the Inner Hebrides and the Minches SAC (Hatching 8)
• Demersal set nets (including fyke nets) prohibited February till end of August and pelagic set nets prohibited February till mid-October in overlapping portion of Rum SPA deeper than 32.7m but shallower than 177m based on maximum dive depth of guillemot and presence of guillemot and Manx shearwater (Hatching 9)
• Longlines (until technical measures come into force) and set nets (including fyke nets) prohibited February till mid-October in overlapping portion of the Rum SPA shallower than 32.7m, based on mean dive depth (maximum unknown) and presence of Manx shearwater (Fill 10)
• Full site closure to hydraulic dredge

Measures for demersal mobile gear have not been developed for this site for the Inner Hebrides Carbonate Production Area as these are being addressed through the overlapping proposed PMF management areas. There are 3 areas proposed for the protection of maerl and seagrass beds that overlap this site: Ulva and Loch na Keal (Mull), Loch a’Chumhainn (Mull) and Sound of Iona (Mull).

Specific management measures haven’t been proposed for creels but the further development and adoption of existing best practice to reduce or limit entanglement of basking sharks and minke whales in creel ropes is being explored through the development of the Future Catching Policy under technical measures to reduce bycatch of marine sensitive species, specifically exploring the use of sinking ground lines in creels.

*This site will have other demersal mobile measures that may apply from the overlapping portions with the proposed PMF management areas, Small Isles and Shiant East Bank NCMPAs and Loch nam Madadh SAC that aren’t shown on the map for this option.

• Small Isles NCMPA has zoned measures for demersal trawl, demersal seine net, beam trawl and mechanical dredge
• Loch nam Madadh SAC would prohibit demersal trawl, demersal seine net, beam trawl, mechanical dredge in the overlapping portion.
• The proposed PMF management areas would prohibit all demersal mobile gear from the entire area that overlaps. (see section below for overlapping areas)

Please check the Option 1 or single management overlapping site and area maps to see proposed demersal mobile measures under Option 1.

Option 2:*

• Full site closure to set nets (not including fyke nets) and hydraulic dredge

* The measures for Option 2 proposals only come from gear types prohibited in non-overlapping areas. Overlapping restrictions may still apply from overlapping sites or areas dependent on the decisions taken for that site or area. Overlaps showing are from designations that currently have fisheries management measures in place.

Overlapping sites and areas included in this consultation

This NCMPA overlaps with:

• Inner Hebrides and the Minches SAC, Loch nam Madadh SAC and Small Isles NCMPA
• Coll and Tiree, Canna and Sanday, Rum, Mingulay and Berneray and West Coast of the Outer Hebrides SPAs
• South of Muck and Bo Fascadale, Muck and Godag, Eigg, South-East, Ulva and Loch na Keal (Mull), Loch a’Chumhainn (Mull), Sound of Iona (Mull), Little Minch, East of Mingulay and Oberon bank proposed PMF management areas.

Estimated Socio-economic impacts of proposed measures for Sea of the Hebrides NCMPA

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

7.2. Site: Moine Mhor SAC

Protected features:

• Intertidal mudflats and sandflats

Feature conditions:

• Intertidal mudflats and sandflats - Favourable

Conservation objectives:

• Intertidal mudflats and sandflats - Maintain

The proposed management measure for Moine Mhor SAC is as follows:

Single Proposed Management Option:

• Full site closure to mechanical dredge and hydraulic dredge

A full site level of protection from the specified gear has been identified as the only suitable option in enabling the achievement of the desired level of protection for the feature in question.

Estimated Socio-economic impacts of proposed measures for Moine Mhor SAC

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