Offshore Marine Protected Areas in Scottish Waters: Strategic Environmental Assessment Post Adoption Statement

5 How the Opinions Expressed have been taken into Account

5.1.1 The Marine Directorate held a public consultation on the proposals from 19 August 2024 to 14 October 2024^[32]. The Environmental Report was published for consultation alongside a number of other reports, including the consultation paper, site proposal document, Draft Fisheries Assessments, an SEIA, a Sustainability Appraisal, partial BRIAs and a ICIA.

5.1.2 Views were invited on a series of questions in relation to the proposed management measures and the proposed amendment of the West of Scotland NCMPA boundary. Appendix B of this report contains a complete list of the consultation questions.

5.1.3 Questions 1 to 10 were general questions on the overall policy and the supporting documents. Questions 12 to 30 then gave the option to provide site specific comments for the proposed measures for 20 offshore MPAs. Questions 32 to 33 sought views on the proposed amendment to the boundary of the West of Scotland NCMPA.

5.1.4 The consultation received 3,881 valid responses, with 97% submitted by individuals and 3% by organisations. Campaign responses accounted for 95% of submissions.

5.1.5 The discussion surrounding zonal (Option 1) versus full site (Option 2) management measures revealed divergent views from consultation respondents.

5.1.6 Respondents preferring zonal measures argued that these approaches were informed by extensive stakeholder collaboration and designed to balance environmental objectives with the continuation of fishing activities.

5.1.7 Zonal measures were characterised by these respondents as cost-effective, achieving targeted conservation outcomes while minimising disruption to the fishing industry. This approach was also viewed as vital for maintaining economic resilience and food security. However, critics of zonal measures warned of potential fragmentation in protection, arguing that leaving certain ecological features unprotected could compromise conservation goals and fail to adequately address the pressures on sensitive habitats and species.

5.1.8 Advocates for full site measures stressed the necessity of comprehensive protection to restore ecosystems to favourable conservation status. These respondents argued that full site approaches better align with international conservation obligations and enhance resilience to climate change by preserving biodiversity.

5.1.9 Full site measures were seen by these respondents as crucial for mitigating cumulative ecological impacts and supporting long term recovery. Conversely, opponents expressed concerns over the socio-economic costs of full site closures, questioning whether the additional environmental benefits justified the financial and social trade-offs. Risks such as displacement of fishing activities, increased spatial conflicts, and adverse impacts on coastal communities reliant on fishing were frequently cited.

5.1.10 In terms of the Environmental Report, the SEA prompted discussions about balancing ecological and socio-economic considerations, with some respondents emphasising the need for deeper analysis of displacement and spill-over effects. Gaps in assessing the welfare of marine species were also noted.

5.1.11 As explained in Section 3.2 of the Environmental Report, the SEA did not include consideration of socio-economic effects as this was assessed by the SEIA which was reported separately. The Sustainability Appraisal, which is also reported separately, considered the potential environmental, economic and social effects of implementing the proposed management measures, drawing on information contained in the Environmental Report and SEIA.

5.1.12 As set out in Section 3.5 of the Environmental Report, the potential for displacement of fishing activities (including from non-UK vessels) and spill-over effects were assessed in detail for each individual offshore MPA in Appendix C of the Environmental Report. This assessment was informed by available data, including existing fishing activity data across different gear types held by Scottish Government, spatio-temporal information on the existing environment, and the sensitivity of features to changes in fishing pressures.

5.1.13 The assessment of potential benefits to habitats and species from the proposed management measures for each offshore MPA within each individual assessment table in Appendix C of the Environmental Report included consideration of protected features as well as the biological communities associated with those features. The improved environmental conditions and thus welfare of marine species that would be brought about by the proposed measures was therefore considered to some extent.

5.1.14 In summary, the consultation revealed a fundamental divide between advocates of conservation and industry stakeholders when it came to zonal or full site measures. Proponents of full site measures underscored the importance of environmental issues and long-term recovery, while supporters of zonal measures argued for stakeholder inclusivity and a proportionate approach which also allowed for industry to continue to operate in these areas while achieving environmental goals.

5.1.15 Following the consultation, Scottish Government has decided to implement the management measures as set out in Table 1. In summary, 13 of the MPAs will proceed with zonal (Option 1) management measures and five of the MPAs will proceed with the full site management measures, where they were the only option previously considered. The zonal (Option 1) measures have been revised at the two remaining MPAs to increase the spatial extent of demersal mobile gear restrictions that overlap the protected features, specifically burrowed mud at the Central Fladen NCMPA and offshore deep-sea muds at the East of Gannet and Montrose Fields NCMPA.

5.1.16 The revisions at these two sites take account of post-consultation advice from JNCC indicating that the previously proposed zonal (Option 1) measures were insufficient to adequately protect the features. The areas comprising the amended zonal measures boundaries for demersal mobile gears is 505 km² at Central Fladen NCMPA (176 km² larger than originally proposed) and 1,557 km² at East of Gannet and Montrose Fields NCMPA (356 km² larger than originally proposed). These revised areas are shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 respectively.

Table 1 Management measures for Offshore MPAs

1. Site Name: Braemar Pockmarks SAC

Protected feature

Submarine structures made by leaking gases

Type of measure

Full Site

Management measures

Demersal mobile and demersal static gears prohibited throughout site.

2. Site name: Central Fladen MPA

Protected feature

Burrowed mud

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1 (extended)

Management measures

Zonal exclusion of demersal mobile gears.

3. Site name: East of Gannet and Montrose Field MPA

Protected features

Offshore deep-sea muds

Ocean quahog aggregations (including sands and gravels as their supporting habitat)

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1 (extended)

Management measures

Mechanised dredge and beam trawling prohibited throughout site.

Zonal exclusion of demersal mobile gears (excluding seines).

4. Site name: Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt MPA

Protected features

Deep-sea sponge aggregations

Offshore subtidal sands and gravels

Ocean quahog aggregations

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Zonal exclusion of demersal mobile and demersal static gears.

5. Site name: Firth of Forth Banks Complex MPA

Protected features

Ocean quahog aggregations

Offshore subtidal sands and gravels

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Zonal exclusion of beam trawls, demersal trawls and mechanised dredges.

6. Site name: Northeast Faroe-Shetland Channel MPA

Protected features

Deep-sea sponge aggregations

Offshore sands and gravels

Deep-sea muds

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Zonal exclusion of demersal mobile and demersal static gears.

7. Site name: Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain MPA

Protected feature

Ocean quahog aggregations (including sands and gravels as their supporting habitat)

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Mechanised dredges, beam trawls and demersal trawls (including pair trawls/seines) prohibited from the whole site.

Zonal exclusion of demersal seines.

8. Pobie Bank Reef SAC

Protected feature

Bedrock and stony reef

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Zonal exclusion of demersal mobile gears.

9. Scanner Pockmark SAC

Protected feature

Submarine structures made by leaking gases

Type of measure

Full site

Management measures

Demersal mobile gears and demersal static gears prohibited throughout site.

10. Anton Dohrn Seamount SAC

Protected feature

Stony, bedrock and biogenic reef

Type of measure

Full site

Management measures

Demersal mobile gears and demersal static gears prohibited throughout site.

11. Site name: Barra Fan and Hebrides Terrace Seamount MPA

Protected features

Seamount communities

Offshore sands and gravels/

Deep-sea muds

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Demersal mobile gears prohibited throughout site.

Demersal static gear prohibited from seamount feature.

12. Site name: Darwin Mounds SAC

Protected feature

Stony, bedrock and biogenic reef

Type of measure

Full site

Management measures

Demersal mobile and demersal static gears prohibited throughout site

13. Site name: East Rockall Bank SAC

Protected feature

Stony, bedrock and biogenic reef

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Demersal mobile gears prohibited from a zone covering 94% of site.

Demersal static gears prohibited in areas of known/predicted biogenic reef.

14. Site name: Geikie Slide and Hebridean Slope MPA

Protected features

Burrowed mud (sea-pens and burrowing megafauna)

Offshore subtidal sands and gravels

Offshore deep-sea muds

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Zonal exclusion of demersal mobile gears.

15. Site name: Northwest Rockall Bank SAC

Protected feature

Stony and biogenic reef

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Zonal exclusion of demersal mobile and demersal static gears across 98% of the site.

16. Site name: Solan Bank Reef SAC

Protected feature

Bedrock and stony reef

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Mechanised dredges and beam trawls prohibited throughout site.

Demersal trawls and seines prohibited within the site, except September and October where demersal trawls and seines are permitted within designated zone.

17. Site name: Stanton Banks SAC

Protected feature

Bedrock and stony reef

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Zonal exclusion of demersal mobile gears.

18. Site name: West of Scotland MPA

Protected features

Burrowed mud

Deep-sea sponge aggregations

Coral gardens

Cold-water coral reefs

Offshore deep-sea muds

Offshore subtidal sands and gravels

Seamount communities

Type of measures

Full site

Management measures

Demersal mobile and demersal static gears prohibited throughout site.

19. Site name: West Shetland Shelf MPA

Protected feature

Offshore subtidal sands and gravels

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Dredges and beam trawls prohibited throughout site.

Zonal exclusion of demersal trawls and seines.

20. Wyville-Thomson Ridge SAC

Protected feature

Stony and bedrock reef

Type of measure

Zonal – Option 1

Management measures

Zonal exclusion of demersal mobile and demersal static gears.