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

5. Policy Impact Assessments

The socio-economic and environmental impacts have been assessed for each proposed management option for individual sites and regional groupings of proposed PMF management areas as well as for the full suite of sites and areas. These estimated impacts are fully detailed in the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment. As part of the SEIA a Social Impacts Research report has also been published. This is where the Scottish Government has sought 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 current research was intended to gather this information from local communities and identify issues and concerns.

The SEIA aims to identify and assess the potential economic and social effects of a proposed development or policy on the lives and circumstances of people, their families and their communities. The assessment investigates the potential cumulative economic benefits and costs, and associated potential social impacts, of implementing the proposed management measures at each individual site or area. It also considers the potential economic benefits and costs, and associated potential social impacts of implementing the suite of measures overall.

The SEA provides a high-level assessment of the potential environmental effects that are likely to result from the implementation of the proposed management measures under both options for sites and areas. The assessment has assessed the potential individual and collective or ‘cumulative’ beneficial and adverse effects of the proposals on a number of SEA topics.

The findings from both the SEA and the SEIA have been combined to provide an overall SA of the proposed fisheries management measures for inshore MPAs and proposed PMF management areas, to accompany the consultation document. The SA provides a high-level overview of the cumulative impacts of the proposed fisheries management measures.

Further policy impact assessments have been undertaken including a Partial Business Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) and an Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA). The partial BRIA estimates the costs, benefits, and risks of proposed legislation that may impact the public, private, or third sector. The ICIA considers the potential impacts on island and coastal communities and whether those impacts significantly differ from other islands and between islands and those on the mainland.

The draft Fisheries Assessments explore the potential impacts of commercial fishing activity against the Conservation Objectives for the site and the tests as required in the Habitats Regulations and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.

We will ask for feedback on these assessments during this consultation and will review the assessments based on the feedback received before finalisation. These impact assessments are a key part of the policy development process.