Draft Fisheries Assessment – Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt NCMPA: Fisheries management measures within Scottish Offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

2. Part A Assessment – Fisheries Screening

2.1 Fisheries screening overview

Part A of this assessment considers whether the fishing activity would be capable of affecting the designated habitats and species of an NCMPA or any ecological or geomorphological process on which the conservation of any protected feature is dependent. This section looks at the pressures exerted by the fishing activity occurring in the site (within the assessment period) in relation to the sensitivities of the protected features. Activities potentially capable of affecting the protected feature were identified where there was both a medium-high risk of a pressure arising from the fishing activity and if any of the features were considered sensitive to that pressure. These pressure-features interactions were then taken forward to the fisheries assessment stage (Part B) to determine whether the fishing activity in question would or might hinder the achievement of the conservation objectives.

For each activity assessed in Part A, there were two possible outcomes for each identified pressure-feature interaction:

1. The pressure-feature interactions were not included for Part B:

a. If the feature is not exposed to the pressure, and is not likely to be in the future; or

b. If the effect/impact of the pressure is non-existent or insignificant.

2. The pressure-feature interactions were included for assessment in Part B:

a. If the feature is exposed to the pressure, or is likely to be in the future; and

b. If the pressure is capable of affecting the feature; or

c. If it is not possible to determine whether the pressure is capable of affecting the feature.

Part B of the assessment considers the potential for activities to affect the feature by assessing the impact of fishing gears identified in Part A. This involves determining the potential level of interaction between the feature and the fishing activity, assessing the potential impact on the feature, and subsequently if fishing activities would or might hinder the achievement of the conservation objectives for the site.

Consideration of exposure to and the effect of a pressure on a protected feature of the NCMPA includes the consideration of exposure to and the effect of that pressure on any ecological or geomorphological process on which the conservation of the protected feature is wholly or in part dependant.

The JNCC Conservation Advice package and Fisheries Management Options Paper for Faroe Shetland Sponge Belt NCMPA have been used to inform this assessment. This is the most recent assessment package and options paper available.

Where appropriate, this advice has been supplemented by information on feature sensitivity from Feature Activity Sensitivity Tool (FeAST) and pressures associated with fishing activity from the JNCC Marine Pressures-Activities Database (PAD) v1.5 2022.

2.2 Activities taking place within Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt NCMPA

To screen out fishing activities that were not taking place within the site or likely to take part on the future, Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data within Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt NCMPA from 2015 – 2019 were analysed to identify the gear types being used in the site, and the aggregated gear method (Table 1). The fishing gears screened out at this stage were not taken forward to Part B of the assessment.

2.3 Potential pressures exerted by site fishing activity

According to the JNCC Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt NCMPA Management Option Paper (2014) the fishing activities considered capable of affecting the protected features are beam trawling, line fishing, otter trawling and set netting.

The potential pressures that could be exerted by fishing activities occurring within the site (demersal trawls and demersal seines) were determined using the JNCC Marine Pressures-Activities Database (PAD) v1.5 2022. The potential pressures that could be exerted by demersal trawls are summarised in Table 2.

The aggregated gear type of ‘anchored nets/lines’ spans two categories in the PAD: set (fixed) net fishing and line fishing. Subsequently, potential pressures for this aggregated gear type were listed under the two PAD categories (Table 3). The risk profiling of pressures was the same for set (fixed) net fishing and line fishing within the PAD, confirming that these categories could be considered together under the aggregated gear type of ‘anchored nets/lines’ in later sections of the assessment.

2.4 Significance of effects/impacts to protected features

To determine whether each pressure is capable of impacting on the sites features, the sensitivity assessments and risk profiling of pressures from FeAST and the JNCC Marine Pressures-Activities Database (PAD) v1.5 2022 were used. For the Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt NCMPA, following JNCC advice, FeAST was used to establish the feature sensitivity to the relevant pressures for ocean quahog aggregation, deep-sea sponge aggregations and offshore subtidal sands and gravels feature. This was to ensure the most up to date sensitivity evidence was used.

As offshore subtidal sands and gravels are not a feature assessed within FeAST, continental shelf mixed sediments were used as a comparable habitat. This decision was informed by the Data confidence assessment undertaken for the NCMPA which utilised predictive habitat maps, UkSeaMap2010 and EUSeaMap^[1]. This was used to indicate extent of supporting habitats within the site. The map is the result of work undertaken by a consortium lead by the JNCC to combine physical data describing the marine environment with information from biological sampling, generating a broad-scale habitat model of seabed habitats from which a predictive map was created (Cameron & Askew, 2011).

The habitat map UKSeaMap 2010 (in GeMS v4) predicts that offshore subtidal sands and gravel habitats occur across the NCMPA (comprising ~97% of the total area). EUSeaMap (2023) reflects this and shows the predominant habitat types to be Atlantic upper bathyal coarse sediment and Arctic upper bathyal mixed sediment. Confidence in the presence and extent of the protected features has been set out in the Data Confidence Assessment.

Table 3 identifies the pressures from particular gears that could be capable of affecting each feature. Where a pressure from a particular gear is identified as being capable of affecting a feature, justification is provided. To ensure the effects of fishing activities in-combination with other activities (including other fishing activities) are fully assessed, the pressures from fishing activities which were not identified as being capable of a affecting a feature but which do interact with the feature are considered in the in-combination aspect of the assessment (Part C).

Considering both the information on pressure activity association (Table 2) and the sensitivity of the features (Table 3), pressures that have the potential to affect the feature are summarised in Table 4.

Pressures that are not exerted by that fishing activity (‘not relevant to the activity’ in Table 4) do not need to be considered further in the assessment. According to the PAD methods document (Robson et al., 2018), pressures with low risk profiles (i.e. ‘low’ risk profile for the activity: Tables 2 & 4) generally do not occur at a level of concern and should not require consideration as part of an assessment, unless there are evidence-based case or site-specific factors that increase the risk, or there is uncertainty on the level of pressure on a receptor. Pressures with ‘medium-high’ risk profiles are commonly induced by the activity at a level that needs to be considered further as part of an assessment.

Of all the pressures considered, five have a medium-high risk profile (PAD) and have a medium high sensitivity: abrasion/disturbance of the substrate on the surface of the seabed, changes in suspended solids (water clarity), penetration and/or disturbance of the substrate below the surface of the seabed, including abrasion, removal of non-target species and smothering and siltation rate changes (Light). These five pressures are subsequently considered to have the potential to affect the protected features. All of these five pressures are exerted by demersal trawls and demersal seines. Two potential pressures are associated with anchored nets/line gear which are abrasion/ disturbance of the substrate on the surface of the seabed and removal of non-target species.

To ensure the effects of fishing activities in-combination with other activities (including other fishing activities) are fully assessed, the pressures from fishing activities which were not considered capable of having a significant effect but which do interact with the features are considered in the in-combination aspect of the assessment (Part C).

2.5 Part A Conclusion

Considering the information on pressures and sensitivity above, demersal trawls, demersal seines and anchored nets/lines have the potential to affect offshore subtidal sands and gravels, deep sea sponge aggregations or ocean quahog aggregations features of the Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt NCMPA. This is through abrasion/disturbance of the substrate on the surface of the seabed; changes in suspended solids (water clarity); penetration and/or disturbance of the substrate below the surface of the seabed, including abrasion; removal of non-target species; and smothering and siltation rate changes (light). Only two pressures of abrasion/disturbance of the substrate on the surface of the seabed and removal of non-target species area associated with anchored nets/lines. These five pressures are considered to have the potential to affect the features are taken through to Part B of the assessment.