Landing obligations and application in the Clyde: EIR Review

Information requested

Can you confirm if the landing obligation applies to the nephrops trawlers in the Clyde. If so, I write to request data for how much weight in fish has been landed via the landing obligation from the Clyde area. I note that the estimate of just cod by catch based on Clyde fisherman's association claims is approx 100 ton per year and that would equate to roughly 2ton a week of cod alone and with the other quota species being much more prevalent I would imagine the figures to be significant. Can you confirm

1. Does the landing obligation apply in the Clyde nephrops trawl fishery?
2. If so please can you confirm the overall weight of fish disposed either by week, month and or since the beginning of the obligation.
3. Do you have a breakdown by species if so can you please supply that?
4. We noticed that although there is an extensive trawl fishery for 6 months in the inner sound, we see no discarding facilities, can you please explain or clarify this situation, is it that no fish are being caught or there is no obligation to land them.

Response

I have now completed my review of our response to your request under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs):

"Can you confirm if the landing obligation applies to the nephrops trawlers in the Clyde. If so, I write to request data for how much weight in fish has been landed via the landing obligation from the Clyde area. I note that the estimate of just cod by catch based on Clyde fisherman's association claims is approx 100 ton per year and that would equate to roughly 2ton a week of cod alone and with the other quota species being much more prevalent I would imagine the figures to be significant. Can you confirm
1. Does the landing obligation apply in the Clyde nephrops trawl fishery.
2. If so please can you confirm the overall weight of fish disposed either by week, month and or since the beginning of the obligation.
3. Do you have a breakdown by species if so can you please supply that.
4. We noticed that although there is an extensive trawl fishery for 6 months in the inner sound, we see no discarding facilities, can you please explain or clarify this situation, is it that no fish are being caught or there is no obligation to land them."

You requested a review specifically for point 2. above: "the overall weight of fish disposed of either by week, month and or since the beginning of the [landing] obligation. Do you have a breakdown by species if so can you please supply that".

I have concluded that a different decision should be substituted.

In considering the original response, I revisited the decision that was taken to classify the information as 'personal data' and withheld under Regulation 11(2) Third Party Personal Data. Having reviewed the information, I am satisfied that the information is personal data in the form that it is held by Marine Scotland, as it can be linked through information held in other systems to identify a named individual. However, I consider that it is possible to provide the information in a format which does not reasonably allow identification of an individual, and as such if released in this format, would no longer be considered personal data.

Marine Scotland holds information of landings of fish recorded as 'Below Minimum Size' (BMS). As stated in the original response, this does not necessarily mean the catch is disposed of. The information held by Marine Scotland for the Clyde are is as follows:

2017: 1 vessel landed 414 kilograms of Below Minimum Size Nephrops in one landing
2020: 1 vessel landed 11 kilograms of Below Minimum Size Hake in one landing

For the sake of clarity, no other vessels recorded landing Below Minimum Size catches from the Clyde, and no Cod were recorded.

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