Sea fisheries regulations in the UK: EIR release

Information requested

"Wondered if it would be possible to make a follow-up request on the fishing VMS data for 2025?

We've now received the data for rectangles within Scottish waters, but wondered if there was any data held for ICES rectangle 41F2? If similar data to the below could be provided for rectangle 41F2, that would be much appreciated.

Aware it is right on the cusp of the Scottish EEZ, but we did receive data for the same area in 2022."

To clarify, the request you refer to above, that you are following up from, is EIR case reference number 202600500516, which we responded to on 3 February 2026.

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.

I am releasing a copy of most of the information you requested as csv files. A total of 3 CSV files have been released to you as part of my response, as noted below in the schedule of documents.

In addition, While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs applies to that information.

Doc. No.	Description of information
1	CSV file titled "vms1_41F2"
2	CSV file titled "vms2_41F2"
3	CSV file titled "vms3_41F2"

The reason why that exception applies is explained in the Annex A of this response. Schedule of Documents supplied

Due to the large number of documents I will send you a separate email with an invitation to a shared Workspace in an online storage facility.

To comply with the Data Protection Act 2018, location data is subject to statistical disclosure controls. Values are redacted where there are fewer than five fishing vessels present.

Annex A

Exception applied

Regulation 11(2) – To the extent that environmental information requested includes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject and in relation to which either the first or second condition set out in paragraphs (3) and (4) is satisfied, a Scottish public authority shall not make the personal data available.

An exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information of a third party) 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.

To comply with the Data Protection Act 2018, location data is subject to statistical disclosure controls. Values are redacted where there are fewer than three fishing vessels present.

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.