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

4. Engagement

This section details the engagement processes that have been undertaken in developing these proposals.

Extensive stakeholder engagement has already been undertaken in the development of the proposed fisheries management measures. Since 2022 Scottish Government officials have met with fisheries and environmental and conservation stakeholders separately 120 times in a range of different forums to discuss MPAs/PMFs and MPA/PMF related issues.

This has included: 

• Developing new socio-economic guidance to inform our statutory assessments which was published in 2022.
• In-person engagement at 6 locations, Stornoway, Ullapool, Oban, Troon, Lerwick and Peterhead to better understand the social values of coastal and island communities that inform their perceptions of changes in the management of the marine environment and how these impact on their lives. The purpose of this research was to engage with local communities to gather insights and identify key issues and concerns. The key themes emerging from this research are outlined in Section 4.1.4. 
• Fishing vessel data provided by individual fishing vessels and coordination with fishing organisation representatives.
• Initial discussions with a wide range of stakeholders in the initial development of fisheries management measures for MPAs and PMF management areas. Minutes of these meetings have been published on the SG website. 

In addition to what has been outlined above, extensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders has been undertaken throughout the development of this policy. Developing fisheries management measures, with stakeholder input, helps to develop consultation options suitable to achieve the desired level of protection of the features whilst allowing sustainable fishing activities to continue where possible.

Figure 2. below outlines milestones in stakeholder engagement, include limitations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these milestones were discussed in the section above.

Figure 2. Timeline of Stakeholder Engagement for Inshore MPAs and PMFs.

• 2014: Consultation on Phase 1 MPA management measures.
• 2015: Follow up consultations on draft Marine Conservation Orders (MCOs).
• 2016–2017: Consultation on proposed marine Special Protection Areas (SPAs), covering 15 sites identified for their importance to marine birds.
• 2018: Consultation on the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and network assessment for the proposed SPA suite.
• 2018: PMF scoping consultation.
• 2019: Supplementary consultation on updated SEA findings and aspects of SPA site classification.
• 2019: Pre-consultation workshop on MPA and PMF management.
• 2019-2020: Additional stakeholder engagement on the MPA and PMF measures is undertaken but halted by the Covid pandemic.
• 2019: Consultation on designation of North-East Lewis, Sea of the Hebrides, Shiant East Bank and Southern Trench NCMPAs.
• 2020-2022: Covid restrictions limit stakeholder engagement (and therefore progress) on Phase 2 and PMF management measures development.
• 2022-2024: Ongoing stakeholder engagement and development of inshore management options.
• June-September 2023: In-person social engagements in Lerwick, Oban, Peterhead, Troon, Oban and Ullapool.
• January 2024: In-person social engagement in Kirkwall and Stornoway.

These highlight key engagements up to the point where statutory assessments were undertaken however Scottish Government has had on-going engagement with stakeholders since 2024 for updates and policy development.

4.1 Previous consultations

A consultation on the phase 1 measures for MPAs was held in 2014, receiving 4,974 responses. This consultation captured the views of a wide range of stakeholders, from industry groups to the general public. These responses informed the selection and implementation of measures within the 20 sites considered for phase 1.

A public consultation on proposed marine SPAs was undertaken in 2016–2017, focusing on a suite of 15 sites identified for their importance to marine birds. This consultation gathered views from a wide range of stakeholders, including industry, environmental organisations and local communities, and considered both the scientific basis for site selection and potential socio-economic impacts. Responses were reviewed and helped inform subsequent assessments, including a network assessment and SEA, which were subject to further consultation in 2018 and 2019. The evidence and feedback collected through these consultation stages contributed to Ministers’ decisions to designate 12 marine SPAs in 2020.

A consultation to determine the necessary approach to protect PMFs outside of the MPA network was conducted in 2018. This received 57 responses from a mixture of individuals and organisations. The responses to this consultation were key to the environmental assessment process for PMF management measures.

4.2 Ongoing engagement

In 2019 a workshop on MPA and PMF management was held, which led to a commitment to further engagement. This engagement began in 2019 and continued until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited engagement until 2022. Engagement began again in 2022 alongside continuing development of management options.

In 2023 a participatory project was undertaken as part of the process of developing the SEIA. This work focussed on developing a better understanding of social values in communities which may be affected by the proposed fisheries management measures. This built on previous research going as far back as 2015.

Throughout the process of developing proposals for PMF management areas, plotter data has been gathered from stakeholders. These data were used to ensure that the areas proposed were developed with the best available information.

4.3 Engagement with the European Union

Three of the inshore SPAs overlap with the Offshore region. The draft consultation options for these sites have been presented directly to the European Commission and EU Member States at an in-person meeting.

When the consultation goes live, EU Commission officials will also be notified.