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Publication - Advice and guidance

Offshore Marine Protected Areas - fisheries management measures: supporting guidance on coordinates and restrictions:

Published
1 September 2025
From
Director of Marine
Directorate
Marine Directorate
Topic
Environment and climate change, Marine and fisheries
ISBN
9781806430871

Detailed guidance on site-specific fisheries management measures within Scottish Offshore Marine Protected Areas, including restricted gear types, gear codes, and precise area coordinates, to support compliance and promote sustainable use of marine resources in designated protected zones.

Part of

View supporting documents Supporting documents

East Rockall Bank SAC

Location: ICES area 6b

Measures: Demersal mobile gear prohibited in two zoned areas. Demersal mobile and demersal static gear prohibited in four zoned areas.

Gear types subject to restrictions

Demersal Mobile Gear:

  • Bottom trawl: OTB, OTT, PTB, TBN, TBS, and TB
  • Beam trawl: TBB
  • Seines: SDN, SSC, SPR, SX, and SV
  • Dredge (boat and mechanised): DRB and HMD

Demersal Static Gear

  • Pots, traps, or creels: FIX and FPO
  • Floated demersal longlines: LL, LLS, and LX
  • Set or static nets: GN, GNC, GNS, GTN, and GTR
Figure 7: Map of East Rockall Bank SAC showing fishing gear restrictions. Demersal mobile gear is prohibited in the horizontally hatched area. Demersal gear (both mobile and static) is banned in red diagonally hatched areas to protect cold-water coral reefs.
This map shows the East Rockall Bank SAC. The full site boundary is outlined in blue. Demersal mobile gear is banned in areas with horizontal hatching. In smaller red diagonally hatched zones, all demersal gear (mobile and static) is banned to protect cold-water coral reefs. Reefs are shaded grey. Inset maps zoom in on specific reef locations.

First Area (Demersal mobile gear prohibited)

Boundary Line Set of co-ordinates of points which the boundary line joins Topographic description of boundary line
1. A to B Loxodrome
2. B to C Loxodrome
3. C to D Loxodrome
4. D to E Loxodrome
5. E to F Loxodrome
6. F to G Loxodrome
7. G to H Loxodrome
8. H to I Loxodrome
9. I to J Loxodrome
10. J to K Loxodrome
11. K to L Loxodrome
12. L to M Loxodrome
13. M to N Loxodrome
14. N to A Loxodrome

Where—

"A" is 58° 23.555' N, 014° 24.990' W,

"B" is 58° 24.826' N, 014° 25.386' W,

"C" is 58° 25.833' N, 014° 25.700' W,

"D" is 58° 34.517' N, 014° 21.967' W,

"E" is 58° 39.350' N, 014° 13.717' W,

"F" is 58° 39.133' N, 014° 09.267' W,

"G" is 58° 33.233' N, 014° 04.167' W,

"H" is 58° 24.450' N, 013° 56.050' W,

"I" is 58° 22.800' N, 013° 50.033' W,

"J" is 58° 22.811' N, 013° 47.572' W,

"K" is 58° 17.568' N, 013° 47.649' W,

"L" is 58° 18.800' N, 013° 55.000' W,

"M" is 58° 20.217' N, 014° 04.367' W, and

"N" is 58° 21.455' N, 014° 07.716' W

Second Area (Demersal mobile gear prohibited)

Boundary Line Set of co-ordinates of points which the boundary line joins Topographic description of boundary line
1. O to P Loxodrome
2. P to Q Loxodrome
3. Q to R Loxodrome
4. R to S Loxodrome
5. S to T Loxodrome
6. T to U Loxodrome
7. U to V Loxodrome
8. V to W Loxodrome
9. W to X Loxodrome
10. X to Y Loxodrome
11. Y to Z Loxodrome
12. Z to AA Loxodrome
13. AA to AB Loxodrome
14. AB to AC Loxodrome
15. AC to AD Loxodrome
16. AD to AE Loxodrome
17. AE to AF Loxodrome
18. AF to AG Loxodrome
19. AG to AH Loxodrome
20. AH to AI Loxodrome
21. AI to AJ Loxodrome
22. AJ to AK Loxodrome
23. AK to AL Loxodrome
24. AL to AM Loxodrome
25. AM to AN Loxodrome
26. AN to AO Loxodrome
27. AO to AP Loxodrome
28. AP to AQ Loxodrome
29. AQ to AR Loxodrome
30. AR to AS Loxodrome
31. AS to AT Loxodrome
32. AT to AU Loxodrome
33. AU to AV Loxodrome
34. AV to AW Loxodrome
35. AW to AX Loxodrome
36. AX to AY Loxodrome
37. AY to AZ Loxodrome
38. AZ to BA Loxodrome
39. BA to BB Loxodrome
40. BB to BC Loxodrome
41. BC to BD Loxodrome
42. BD to BE Loxodrome
43. BE to BF Loxodrome
44. BF to BG Loxodrome
45. BG to BH Loxodrome
46. BH to BI Loxodrome
47. BI to BJ Loxodrome
48. BJ to BK Loxodrome
49. BK to BL Loxodrome
50. BL to BM Loxodrome
51. BM to BN Loxodrome
52. BN to O Loxodrome

Where—

"O" is 58° 19.891' N, 013° 34.256' W,

"P" is 58° 17.117' N, 013° 28.850' W,

"Q" is 58° 11.750' N, 013° 17.533' W,

"R" is 58° 04.700' N, 013° 02.033' W,

"S" is 57° 58.083' N, 012° 53.900' W,

"T" is 57° 50.200' N, 012° 50.667' W,

"U" is 57° 40.650' N, 012° 50.433' W,

"V" is 57° 35.900' N, 012° 50.850' W,

"W" is 57° 30.950' N, 012° 46.600' W,

"X" is 57° 30.650' N, 012° 43.133' W,

"Y" is 57° 25.550' N, 012° 42.783' W,

"Z" is 57° 24.417' N, 012° 48.183' W,

"AA" is 57° 20.283' N, 012° 47.967' W,

"AB" is 57° 16.383' N, 012° 47.767' W,

"AC" is 57° 12.467' N, 012° 49.617' W,

"AD" is 57° 11.783' N, 012° 53.550' W,

"AE" is 56° 58.883' N, 013° 10.900' W,

"AF" is 56° 53.017' N, 013° 14.850' W,

"AG" is 56° 46.983' N, 013° 21.800' W,

"AH" is 56° 43.883' N, 013° 23.983' W,

"AI" is 56° 42.167' N, 013° 25.167' W,

"AJ" is 56° 42.047' N, 013° 51.996' W,

"AK" is 56° 45.301' N, 013° 48.870' W,

"AL" is 56° 49.201' N, 013° 44.085' W,

"AM" is 56° 53.994' N, 013° 34.312' W,

"AN" is 57° 01.450' N, 013° 26.767' W,

"AO" is 57° 02.664' N, 013° 22.194' W,

"AP" is 57° 13.822' N, 013° 07.152' W,

"AQ" is 57° 23.033' N, 012° 59.650' W,

"AR" is 57° 27.579' N, 012° 58.112' W,

"AS" is 57° 31.325' N, 012° 58.984' W,

"AT" is 57° 37.426' N, 012° 57.314' W,

"AU" is 57° 39.685' N, 012° 57.442' W,

"AV" is 57° 40.780' N, 012° 57.772' W,

"AW" is 57° 41.408' N, 012° 57.284' W,

"AX" is 57° 42.889' N, 012° 57.621' W,

"AY" is 57° 45.686' N, 012° 57.328' W,

"AZ" is 57° 48.492' N, 012° 58.629' W,

"BA" is 57° 49.830' N, 012° 59.483' W,

"BB" is 57° 53.360' N, 012° 59.820' W,

"BC" is 57° 54.162' N, 013° 01.179' W,

"BD" is 57° 55.464' N, 013° 03.029' W,

"BE" is 57° 59.038' N, 013° 07.598' W,

"BF" is 57° 59.077' N, 013° 08.547' W,

"BG" is 58° 00.757' N, 013° 11.288' W,

"BH" is 58° 02.730' N, 013° 12.771' W,

"BI" is 58° 04.267' N, 013° 16.600' W,

"BJ" is 58° 05.134' N, 013° 19.160' W,

"BK" is 58° 09.083' N, 013° 25.770' W,

"BL" is 58° 11.078' N, 013° 30.652' W,

"BM" is 58° 12.423' N, 013° 33.023' W, and

"BN" is 58° 12.951' N, 013° 34.291' W

Third Area (Demersal mobile and demersal static gear prohibited)

Boundary Line Set of co-ordinates of points which the boundary line joins Topographic description of boundary line
1. BO to BP Loxodrome
2. BP to BQ Loxodrome
3. BQ to BR Loxodrome
4. BR to BS Loxodrome
5. BS to BT Loxodrome
6. BT to BU Loxodrome
7. BU to BV Loxodrome
8. BV to BW Loxodrome
9. BW to BO Loxodrome

Where—

"BO" is 58° 22.811' N, 013° 47.572' W,

"BP" is 58° 22.833' N, 013° 41.933' W,

"BQ" is 58° 21.950' N, 013° 38.283' W,

"BR" is 58° 19.891' N, 013° 34.256' W,

"BS" is 58° 12.951' N, 013° 34.291' W,

"BT" is 58° 13.218' N, 013° 34.928' W,

"BU" is 58° 16.240' N, 013° 39.694' W,

"BV" is 58° 16.917' N, 013° 43.783' W, and

"BW" is 58° 17.568' N, 013° 47.649' W

Fourth Area (Demersal mobile and demersal static gear prohibited)

Boundary Line Set of co-ordinates of points which the boundary line joins Topographic description of boundary line
1. BX to BY Loxodrome
2. BY to BZ Loxodrome
3. BZ to CA Loxodrome
4. CA to BX Loxodrome

Where—

"BX" is 57° 45.006' N, 012° 57.399' W,

"BY" is 57° 45.006' N, 012° 54.929' W,

"BZ" is 57° 43.538' N, 012° 54.929' W, and

"CA" is 57° 43.538' N, 012° 57.553' W

Fifth Area (Demersal mobile and demersal static gear prohibited)

Boundary Line Set of co-ordinates of points which the boundary line joins Topographic description of boundary line
1. CB to CC Loxodrome
2. CC to CD Loxodrome
3. CD to CE Loxodrome
4. CE to CF Loxodrome
5. CF to CG Loxodrome
6. CG to CB Loxodrome

Where—

"CB" is 57° 26.853' N, 012° 48.754' W,

"CC" is 57° 26.853' N, 012° 42.873' W,

"CD" is 57° 25.550' N, 012° 42.783' W,

"CE" is 57° 24.417' N, 012° 48.183' W,

"CF" is 57° 23.707' N, 012° 48.146' W, and

"CG" is 57° 23.707' N, 012° 48.754' W

Sixth Area (Demersal mobile and demersal static gear prohibited)

Boundary Line Set of co-ordinates of points which the boundary line joins Topographic description of boundary line
1. CH to CI Loxodrome
2. CI to CJ Loxodrome
3. CJ to CK Loxodrome
4. CK to CH Loxodrome

Where—

"CH" is 57° 04.248' N, 013° 18.997' W,

"CI" is 57° 04.248' N, 013° 16.311' W,

"CJ" is 57° 02.806' N, 013° 16.311' W, and

"CK" is 57° 02.806' N, 013° 18.997' W

Contact

Email: Marine_biodiversity@gov.scot

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