Seal licensing system: third review

2. Requirements of the review

Under section 129 of the 2010 Act, Scottish Ministers must review and publish a report on the operation of the seal licensing regime every five years. This review must be published by 28 September 2025.

The 2010 Act requires that when carrying out a review, Scottish Ministers must have regard to scientific evidence on seal biology, welfare and behaviour, and on other matters they consider relevant, and consult United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other such persons as they consider appropriate. Scottish Ministers must also have regard to their most recent report when performing functions under the seal licensing regime.

2.1 Scope of review

This review considers the operation of the licensing system for the period from 1 September 2020 to 31 December 2024. It covers all aspects of the operation of the seal licensing system including all developments and improvements that took place during the period; previous reviews into the operation of the system, and any significant changes made as a result of these. It also makes recommendations in relation to the operation of the seal licensing system where relevant.

The review does not consider the sufficiency of the 2010 Act which is outside the scope of this review.

2.2 Review methodology

The review was undertaken by the Marine Directorate, drawing on:

• the views of stakeholders, including statutory consultees;
• published data on seal licensing and external sources such as reports from the Special Committee on Seals (SCOS) and independent research;
• evidence provided by Marine Directorate, including MD-LOT

A summary of the responses from the stakeholder questionnaire can be found in Annex A. Key findings are also covered in each section of this review where relevant.