Publication - FOI/EIR release

Zooplankton data from Scottish Coast Observatories Stonehaven and Loch Ewe: EIR release

Published: 16 February 2026
Directorate: Marine Directorate
Topic: Marine and fisheries, Public sector
FOI reference: EIR/202500494087
Date received: 17 November 2025
Date responded: 16 December 2025

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

Information requested

Zooplankton and environmental data from Stonehaven Scottish Coast Observatory over 2021 to present, environmental data from Loch Ewe Scottish Coast Observatory over 2021 to present, and (if collected) zooplankton data from Loch Ewe Scottish Coast Observatory over 2019 to present.

Zooplankton data from Scottish Coast Observatories Stonehaven and Loch Ewe over 2020 to June 2024 were requested in FOI/202400419001 but only data from Loch Ewe were released.

Response

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption 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 exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

Response to your request

I enclose a copy of all of all the information that you have requested as an information WORD document (“EIR 202500494087 - Supporting Information Document”) and several comma- separated value (CSV) files. The information document lists further supporting information, including a list of the relevant pages on the Marine Directorate’s data portal containing the information you requested, as well as a description of the attached documents provided.

Under regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIRs, we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

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.