Fisheries Management Measures within Scottish Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) Management Areas - Site and Area Proposal Document

3. Sites and Areas

3.1 Sites and Areas Covered

There are 76 sites (NCMPAs, SACs and SPAs), and 90 proposed PMF management areas in the Scottish inshore region. These are listed below in Figure 1.

Figure 1. List of MPAs and proposed PMF management areas within the SMR where fisheries management measures have been developed for consultation.

Argyll

• Coll & Tiree SPA
• Eileanan agus Sgeiran Lios mór SAC
• Loch a' Chnuic and Ardilistry (Islay) proposed PMF management area
• Loch a' Chumhainn (Mull) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Craignish (Argyll) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Indaal (Islay) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Tarbert (Jura) proposed PMF management area
• Moine Mhor SAC
• North Colonsay and Western Cliffs SPA
• Gigha, North-East proposed PMF management area
• Port Appin to Lismore (Loch Linnhe) proposed PMF management area
• Port Ellen (Islay) proposed PMF management area
• Sea of the Hebrides NCMPA
• Sound of Gigha SPA
• Sound of Iona (Mull) proposed PMF management area
• Sound of Islay (Islay) proposed PMF management area
• Gigha, South proposed PMF management area
• Ulva and Loch na Keal (Mull) proposed PMF management area
• South-East Islay Skerries SAC
• West Loch Tarbert (Kintyre) proposed PMF management area

Clyde

• Ailsa Craig SPA
• Ardlamont Point (Cowal) proposed PMF management area
• Clyde Sea Sill NCMPA
• Gourock (Inverclyde) proposed PMF management area
• Inchmarnock (Bute) proposed PMF management area
• Kyles of Bute proposed PMF management area
• Loch Long, Upper (Argyll) proposed PMF management area
• Merkland (Arran) proposed PMF management area
• Sannox (Arran) proposed PMF management area
• Scalpsay Bay, Gallachan Bay, and Stravannan Bay (Bute) proposed PMF management area
• Skipness Point (Kintyre) proposed PMF management area

Forth and Tay

• Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast SAC
• Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary SAC
• Forth Islands SPA
• Isle of May SAC
• Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA
• St Abb`s Head to Fast Castle SPA

Moray Firth

• Dornoch Firth and Morrich More SAC
• East Caithness Cliffs NCMPA
• East Caithness Cliffs SPA
• Moray Firth SAC
• Moray Firth SPA
• Southern Trench NCMPA
• Troup, Pennan and Lion`s Heads SPA

North Coast

• Cape Wrath SPA
• Loch Eribol (Durness) proposed PMF management area
• North Caithness Cliffs SPA

North East

• Buchan Ness to Collieston Coast SPA
• Fowlsheugh SPA
• Ythan Estuary, Sands of Forvie, and Meikle Loch SPA

Orkney Islands

• Bay of Swartmill (Orkney) proposed PMF management area
• Bay of Tuquoy, Westray (Orkney) proposed PMF management area
• Calf of Eday SPA
• Copinsay SPA
• Copinsay (Orkney) proposed PMF management area
• Hoy Sound (East) to South Walls (Orkney) proposed PMF management area
• Hoy Sound (Orkney) proposed PMF management area
• Hoy SPA
• Marwick Head SPA
• North Orkney SPA
• Eday, Sanday, and Stronsay (Orkney) proposed PMF management area
• Orkney Sounds and Firths (South) proposed PMF management area
• Papa Westray, South (Orkney) proposed PMF management area
• Papa Westray NCMPA
• Rousay SPA
• Faray and Holm of Faray SAC
• Scapa Flow SPA
• Sule Skerry and Sule Stack SPA
• West Westray SPA
• Widewall Bay (Orkney) proposed PMF management area

Outer Hebrides

• Aird an t-Sruith, Sound of Harris proposed PMF management area
• Berneray (East) Sound of Harris proposed PMF management area
• Boreray and Berneray (North Uist) proposed PMF management area
• Easaigh and Ceilegraigh (Sound of Harris) proposed PMF management area
• East Loch Tarbert and Scalpay (Harris) proposed PMF management area
• East of Mingulay proposed PMF management area
• Flannan Isles SPA
• Loch Aineort (South Uist) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Baghasdail (South Uist) proposed PMF management area
• Loch nam Madadh SAC
• Loch Seaforth (Lewis) proposed PMF management area
• Lochs Tamnabhaigh, Tealasbaigh, Reasort, and Crabhadail (Harris) proposed PMF management area
• Mingulay and Berneray SAC
• Monach Islands NCMPA
• Monach Isles SAC
• North-East Lewis NCMPA
• North Rona SAC
• North Rona and Sula Sgeir SPA
• Pabaigh, South (Sound of Harris) proposed PMF management area
• Pabaigh, South-East (Sound of Harris) proposed PMF management area
• Rangas, Bhotarsaigh and Sursaigh (North Uist) proposed PMF management area
• Seas off St Kilda SPA
• Sgeir an Fheidh (South Uist) proposed PMF management area
• Shiant East Bank NCMPA
• Shiant Isles SPA
• Sound of Barra SAC
• Sound of Taransay and West Loch Tarbert (Harris) proposed PMF management area
• South-East Barra & Vatersay proposed PMF management area
• St Kilda SPA
• Stulaigh (South Uist) proposed PMF management area
• West Coast of the Outer Hebrides SPA

Shetland Isles

• Back of Ollaberry, Yell Sound (Shetland) proposed PMF management area
• Bluemull and Colgrave Sounds SPA
• Busta Voe (Shetland) proposed PMF management area
• East Mainland Coast, Shetland SPA
• Fair Isle SPA
• Fetlar SPA
• Fetlar to Haroldswick NCMPA
• Foula SPA
• Hermaness, Saxa Vord, and Valla Field SPA
• Linga Sound (Shetland) proposed PMF management area
• Lunna Ness, North (Shetland) proposed PMF management area
• Lunning Sound (Shetland) proposed PMF management area
• Mousa SAC
• Mousa to Boddam NCMPA
• Noss SPA
• Papa Stour SAC
• Papa, North (Shetland) proposed PMF management area
• Quey Firth (Shetland) proposed PMF management area
• Seas off Foula SPA
• Sullom Voe SAC
• Sumburgh Head SPA
• Wadbister Voe (Shetland) proposed PMF management area
• West Mainland Voes, Shetland proposed PMF management area
• West Voe, East Burra (Shetland) proposed PMF management area
• Whalsay, South-West (Shetland) proposed PMF management area
• Yell Sound Coast SAC

Solway

• Solway Firth SPA

West Highlands

• Ascrib Islands (Skye) proposed PMF management area
• Ascrib, Isay and Dunvegan SAC
• Canna and Sanday SPA
• East of BUTEC (Inner Sound) proposed PMF management area
• Eddrachillis Bay (Assynt) proposed PMF management area
• Eigg, South-East proposed PMF management area
• Handa SPA
• Handa (Durness) proposed PMF management area
• Inner Hebrides and the Minches SAC
• Inverie, Loch Nevis (Knoydart) proposed PMF management area
• Little Minch proposed PMF management area
• Loch Ainort and Caolas Scalpay (Skye) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Bay (Skye) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Bracadale (Skye) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Eil (Lochaber) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Hourn (Knoydart) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Leven, Ballachullish (Lochaber) proposed PMF management area
• Loch nan Ceall (Arisaig) proposed PMF management area
• Loch nan Uamh (Arisaig) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Scavaig (Skye) proposed PMF management area
• Loch Sligachan (Skye) proposed PMF management area
• Lochs Eishort and Slapin (Skye) proposed PMF management area
• Muck and Godag proposed PMF management area
• North Crowlin Islands and Eilean na Ba (Inner Sound) proposed PMF management area
• Oberon Bank proposed PMF management area
• Pabay, North (Inner Sound) proposed PMF management area
• Pabay, South-West (Inner Sound) proposed PMF management area
• Port Erradale (Gairloch) proposed PMF management area
• Red Point (Torridon) proposed PMF management area
• Rubha Chuaig (Inner Sound) proposed PMF management area
• Rum SPA
• Sandaig Bay, Loch Nevis (Knoydart) proposed PMF management area
• Scalpay, North (Inner Sound) proposed PMF management area
• Sgeir na Sean Chroit (Upper Loch Linnhe) proposed PMF management area
• Small Isles NCMPA
• Sound of Arisaig (Loch Ailort to Loch Ceann Traigh) SAC (including marine component of Loch Moidart and Loch Shiel Woods SAC)
• South of Muck and Bo Fascadale proposed PMF management area

3.2 Overview of changes since 2015/2016

In 2015, measures were introduced for the 16 MPAs at most risk in the inshore region. The second phase of fisheries management measures for inshore MPAs then began development in 2017, adding a further 18 sites.

In 2017, the damage to the flame shell bed in Loch Carron led the Scottish Government to designate Loch Carron as a NCMPA and to prioritise the protection of PMFs across Scotland’s seas.

In 2014, 81 PMFs were identified in the seas around Scotland. PMFs are a prioritised list of habitats and species of conservation importance in Scotland’s seas and include a wide range of characteristic Scottish wildlife. The PMF list is used to help focus conservation action and decision making in marine planning.

In 2018 Scottish Ministers launched a public consultation on Improving protection given to PMFs outside the MPA network, to ensure that PMFs are being protected in accordance with the NMP, which states in general policy 9b that “development and use of the marine environment must not result in significant impact on the national status of Priority Marine Features”. A prioritisation process was undertaken by Scottish Government and NatureScot, which identified the 11 PMFs which are most sensitive to physical disturbance from demersal mobile fishing gear.

A screening and scoping exercise for a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was carried out. This was followed by a public consultation in 2018 to seek views on the scoping report, the advice provided by Scottish Natural Heritage on each PMF, and the management approach that would be assessed.

The PMF protection and MPA management processes were combined at the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) level due to the similarities between them (i.e. both bringing forward fisheries management measures for habitats and species). A draft Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Socio-Economic Impacts Assessment (SEIA) for each project were prepared in 2019. The assessments were brought together in a single SA.

At a workshop in 2019, concerns were raised by fisheries stakeholders about the scope of the PMF measures. A commitment was made to undertake local fisheries engagement ahead of the public consultation on the proposed measures. The aim was to develop an alternative option that still met the requirements of NMP policies including general policy 9b but with a lower economic impact on fisheries, whilst improving vessel safety (e.g. through opening up sheltered winter fishing areas). This local engagement took place from December 2019 - March 2020 and December 2021 - January 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a delay in developing this work. This delay meant that the work was taken back to the SEA scoping stage, where MPA and PMF fisheries management measures were combined under one SEA and SEIA. This simplified the process for stakeholders, and allowed better calculation of cumulative effects.

In 2021-2022, The Bute House Agreement was reached. This expanded the scope of MPAs to be included in the development of fisheries management measures. NCMPAs for mobile species and habitats, SPAs for seabirds and an SAC for harbour porpoise were scoped into what was known previously as Phase 2.

3.3 NatureScot Management Advice on Fishing Activity

NatureScot provides management advice to support public authorities and others in managing the risks from activities to MPAs and PMFs. The advice is focused on those activities that cause an effect (a pressure) that a habitat or species is sensitive to. Pressures can be physical (e.g. abrasion of the seabed), chemical or biological. Different activities may cause the same pressure, e.g. fishing using demersal mobile/active gears and aggregate dredging both cause abrasion which can damage the surface of the seabed. NatureScot’s advice takes a risk-based approach, focusing on providing advice where it is considered there is risk to achieving the Conservation Objectives of an MPA or where there is a significant risk to the national status of a PMF. Risks are identified where there is an overlap (either spatially and/or temporally) between features and the activities that generate pressures the features are sensitive to.

As NatureScot do not have access to detailed fishing activity information the advice provided is based on an understanding of the interactions between the features and fishing activities and their likelihood of occurring. For MPAs there is a range of management advice provided depending on the interaction for activities that are either happening now or have the potential to occur in the future:

a) No additional management required

b) Management to reduce or limit pressures

c) Management to remove or avoid pressures

In relation to fishing activities, NatureScot have also noted where this advice should be ‘considered’ or where it is ‘recommended’. Considered is used to highlight that an issue exists, but circumstances mean that a specific recommendation for action cannot be made at this point but there is sufficient cause to make fishery managers aware of the issue and for them to consider if a management measure may be helpful in achieving the Conservation Objectives. The term ‘recommended’ highlights that an issue of a fishery-feature interaction exists, there is a reasonable evidence base and a specific recommendation can be made/ justified.

NatureScot’s MPA advice of relevance to this consultation is presented in the Conservation and Management Advice documents on SiteLink. They also gave additional advice for specific sites, habitats and species.

NatureScot have provided advice on the 11 most sensitive PMFs to bottom-contacting mobile fishing activity which includes information on the distribution, ecology, status and sensitivity these features. Existing and proposed fisheries measures providing PMF protection and NatureScot’s recommendations on additional key locations for protection of these features is also detailed. The PMF advice documents for the 11 most sensitive PMFs to bottom-contacting mobile fishing gear are available from their website.