Marine Protected Area network: 2024 report to the Scottish Parliament

8. Development of fisheries management measures

Inshore Area

The Scottish Government has committed to consulting on putting in place management measures for fishing activity for those MPAs where they are required and are not already in place.

Alongside the management measures for Marine Protected Areas, in 2017 we began the process to increase protection for Priority Marine Features (PMFs). A prioritisation process was undertaken by Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage (now NatureScot), which identified 11 PMFs which are most vulnerable to physical disturbance from mobile bottom- contacting fishing gear. The aim is to ensure that PMFs are being protected in accordance with General Policy 9b of the National Marine Plan, which states that "development and use of the marine environment must not result in significant impact on the national status of Priority Marine Features". A scoping consultation on PMFs was carried out in 2018.

Following a stakeholder workshop on both PMF and inshore MPA management held in 2019, a commitment was made to undertake local fisheries engagement ahead of public consultation on the proposed measures. The aim being to refine management options that achieve the conservation objectives but also minimise socio-economic impacts and protect vessel safety. This local engagement took place from December 2019 to March 2020 and December 2021 to January 2022, with a break due to Covid restrictions.

In light of feedback from this engagement, in 2023 the Scottish Government started work on the new combined sustainability appraisal beginning with social impact research. This followed the new MPA SEIA guidancepublished in 2022 aimed at improving the assessment of local and social impacts from MPAs through the inclusion of participatory engagement methodologies with those affected. The social research involved a series of workshops and drop-in sessions around Scotland to gather local views on MPA management. Workshops and drop-in sessions were held in six locations across Scotland selected to ensure coverage of different regions, types of areas and designation types. The results of these workshops will be incorporated into the full socio-economic impact assessment.

Next steps for the inshore MPA and PMF management measures will be the completion of statutory assessments and impact assessments required for consultation. A public consultation on the proposed management measures will be conducted following their completion.

Management measures were developed and introduced in the Red Rocks and Longay MPA, located in the Inner Sound of Skye, in 2022 for the protection of flapper skate nursery grounds after the discovery of over 1000 eggs (see Section 6).

Offshore area

There are 27 protected areas either wholly or partly within the Scottish offshore region. Four sites, Hatton Bank SAC, Hatton-Rockall Basin MPA, Turbot Bank MPA and North-West Orkney MPA already have suitable measures in place. The remaining 23 sites have been identified as requiring fisheries management measures for nature conservation purposes.

Three Special Protection Areas (SPAs) have been identified as requiring fisheries management measures: Seas off Foula SPA, Seas off St Kilda SPA and Outer Firth of Forth Banks Complex SPA. These sites are designated across the boundary between the inshore region (0-12 nautical miles) and offshore region (12-200 nautical miles). The fisheries management measures for these sites are being taken forward as part of the programme of work identifying measures for inshore MPAs.

For the remaining 20 sites, fisheries management measures have been developed on a site-by-site basis and subject to the relevant and required impact assessments. These potential fisheries management measures were developed for the majority of these sites under the EU Common Fisheries Policy while the UK was a member of the EU. However, this process was not completed prior to the UK exiting the EU. This work has continued using domestic powers.

Some amendments to those proposed measures have been made post EU-exit due to changes in able supporting evidence. The changes were discussed with stakeholders in 2022. Proposed measures were then subject to public consultation in 2024.

In 2025, we will finalise reviewing consultation responses and Scottish Ministers will be considering these in light of the relevant statutory duties when deciding on the fisheries management measures to be implemented.