Publication - FOI/EIR release

Firth of Lorn SAC survey information: EIR release

Published: 6 November 2025
Directorate: Marine Directorate
Topic: Marine and fisheries, Public sector
FOI reference: FOI/202500468511
Date received: 28 May 2025
Date responded: 19 June 2025

Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

Information requested

a) The data from survey work carried out by the Alba na Mara within the Firth of Lorne SAC this year. Please include underwater video and photographs and the positions and depths at which they were taken.

b) All other underwater surveys within the SAC, including video and photographs with dates, depths and positions where they were taken. We only need those conducted after the SNH Commissioned Report No 190 published in 2006.

Response

I am providing a copy of most of the information you requested.

We are releasing data to you from seven Marine Directorate (MD) underwater camera research surveys conducted in the Firth of Lorn SAC area, comprising over 0.4 TB of data – a summary of which can be found in the table enclosed as Annex A.

An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exception is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. The withheld information relates to camera footage captured on deck only during camera deployment and recovery of Survey 1021a, rather than when the gear was deployed underwater.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing part of your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. The reasons why that exception applies are explained below.

Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have. The Scottish Government does not have all of the information you have requested because of the following reasons:

in part a) Survey 0525A deployed a number of different survey gears, and we have provided video and still images from drop down camera tows. Additional BRUV (baited remote underwater video) data was collected, but this data is held by NatureScot and not MD. However, the positional data of the BRUV stations have been released to you.#
we do not hold some of the information you have requested in part b). Two surveys from 2006 and 2016 (Surveys 1306S and 1116A respectively) were in-scope, but due to storage restrictions as a result of significant infrastructure loss at the Marine Laboratory site, we no longer hold the camera footage from these surveys. However, the positional data from the 1116A survey have been released to you. Note that some surveys did not record depth but where we hold the data, it has been provided.

This exception is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. While we recognise that there may be some public interest in information about Firth of Lorn underwater footage, clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.

Due to the size of the files we are unable to upload the documents referred to above. If you wish to consider, please contact us at the address below and we will be happy to provide.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.