Draft Fisheries Assessment – Central Fladen NCMPA: Fisheries management measures within Scottish Offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

1 Introduction

1.1 Scope of the Central Fladen NCMPA assessment

The geographic scope if this assessment covers the whole of the Central Fladen NCMPA (Figure 1). The purpose of this assessment is to determine whether the current levels of fishing activities would or might hinder the conservation objectives of Central Fladen NCMPA and to identify options for management measures.

In this assessment, the Scottish Ministers use the best available evidence to review the site characteristics and current fishing activity (Part A), both taken alone and in combination with other relevant activities (Part C), to determine if the fishing activities are capable of affecting the designated feature (burrowed mud). Any fishing activities capable of affecting the designated features, either alone or in combination with other relevant activities, are considered further to assess whether they would or might hinder the achievement of the conservation objectives (Part B).

Where there is the potential for the achievement of the conservation objectives to be hindered, management measures are identified for the site by Scottish Ministers. These measures are considered in light of the conservation objectives, biological characteristics, current fishing, other activity levels and existing fisheries restrictions for Central Fladen NCMPA. A final decision on which measures, if any, are to be adopted, will follow upon a statutory consultation exercise and will take into account all relevant statutory obligations incumbent upon Scottish Ministers.

A methodology document has been prepared to aid understanding of these assessments.

1.2 Site Description

The Central Fladen NCMPA lies within the Fladen Grounds, a large area of mud in the northern North Sea named after the German word “fladen” meaning “flat cake”. The NCMPA includes a particular type of mud habitat that is characterised by feather-like soft corals called sea pens, and the burrows made by crustaceans such as mud shrimp and the Norway lobster (also known as the Dublin Bay prawn or langoustine). Burrowed mud is a productive and important marine habitat that supports a rich community of animals. Burrowing species can be found living within the mud itself. Their burrowing activity plays an important role in supporting life in the area; the constant churning of the mud releases nutrients and helps to mix oxygen into the mud. Longer lasting burrows also provide shelter to other marine life from the species that patrol the muddy surface looking for food. Burrowed mud is considered by OSPAR to be a ‘Threatened and/or Declining’ habitat across the North-east Atlantic.

Several different types of seapen can be found anchored in the muddy seabed within the MPA. The southern area includes examples of the nationally threatened tall seapen (Funiculina quadrangularis) a UK BAP priority species, which can grow up to 2 m in height. Brittlestars use the tall seapen as an elevated perch to filter food from passing currents. Priority Marine Features (PMFs), or features of conservation interest, found within the site also include the seapens Pennatula phosphorea and Virgularia mirabilis (Benson et al., 2021).

The NCMPA has also includes a sub-glacial tunnel valley, representing part of a key geodiversity Area known as the Fladen Deeps or ‘The Holes’. It is thought these valleys were created by erosion of melt water under an ice sheet in former ice ages. In places, these tunnel valleys can stretch for 40 km and be 4 km wide. The Fladen Deeps are considered scientifically important since they hold potentially valuable evidence about past changes in the extent and geometry of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet.

The Central Fladen NCMPA has been designated for the following protected features:

• burrowed mud, and
• sub-glacial tunnel valley geodiversity feature representative of the Fladen Deeps key geodiversity area.

The conservation objective for the Central Fladen NCMPA is that the protected features listed below:

• so far as already in favourable condition, remain in such condition; and
• so far as not already in favourable condition, be brought into such condition, and remain in such condition.

With respect to burrowed mud, this means that:

• extent is stable or increasing; and
• structures and functions, its quality, and the composition of its characteristic biological communities (which includes a reference to the diversity and abundance of marine flora and flora forming part of or inhabiting that habitat) are such as to ensure that it remains in a condition which is healthy and not deteriorating.

Any temporary deterioration in condition is to be disregarded if the habitat is sufficiently healthy and resilient to enable its recovery from such deterioration. Any alteration to that feature brought about entirely by natural processes is to be disregarded.

With respect to the sub-glacial tunnel valley representative of the Fladen Deeps Key Geodiversity Area, this means that:

• its extent, component elements and integrity are maintained;
• its structure and functioning are unimpaired; and
• its surface remains sufficiently unobscured for the purposes of determining whether the above points are satisfied.

Any obscuring of that feature entirely by natural processes is to be disregarded. Any alteration to that feature brought about entirely by natural processes is to be disregarded.

For burrowed mud, the feature condition has been assessed by JNCC as being ‘Unfavourable’. For the Sub-glacial tunnel valley the feature condition has been assessed by JNCC as being ‘Favourable’. More information regarding the Designation Orders for the Central Fladen NCMPA is available in the Designation Order.

With regards to the scope of this assessment, JNCC considers that the large-scale feature and/or geomorphological features (sub-glacial tunnel valley) are unlikely to be impacted by fishing activities within the site. As such, these features are not considered further in this assessment.

More information regarding the conservation objectives for Central Fladen NCMPA is available within the site’s conservation advice package available on JNCC’s site information centre.

1.3 Activities Assessed

The assessments consider the impacts of fisheries activities at each NCMPA in terms of the conservation objectives stated for the designated sites. This was deemed appropriate, in order to assist in identifying potential management measures.

In this context, the implications of the fishing activity in view of the conservation objectives for the NCMPA are being assessed through the fisheries screening stage (Part A), the fisheries assessment (Part B), and the in combination assessment (Part C).

Fisheries assessments use the best available evidence to fully consider potential impacts of commercial fishing activity, and in-combination (cumulative) effects with other activities , against the conservation objectives for the site. If the assessment concludes that use of certain fishing gear types would or might hinder the achievement of the conservation objectives of the site, management measures will be considered.

Commercial sea fishing activity has the potential to vary in nature and intensity over time. This assessment considers fishing activity based on activity levels and type between 2015-2019. This date range was considered to provide the best available data on current fishing activity levels for the assessment. Using a five-year date range provides an average view of fishing activity within the site; latter years (2020 – 2021) were not considered representative of regular fishing activity due to the Covid pandemic. The selected date range (2015 – 2019) was used consistently across all assessments within the consultation package. Changes in fishing activity after this time period may be considered in future reviews of this assessment (see Section 6).