Draft Fisheries Assessment – Hatton Bank SAC: Fisheries management measures within Scottish Offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

Executive Summary

The scope of this fisheries assessment is the Hatton Bank Special Area of Conservation (SAC) situated in the Atlantic North-West Approaches, towards the western extent of the UK Continental Shelf (200 nautical miles, nm).

The SAC encompasses a large volcanic bank and is designated for Annex I Reefs, specifically stony, bedrock and biogenic reef. The conservation objectives for the Hatton Bank SAC are for the feature to be in favourable condition thus ensuring site integrity in the long term and contribution to ‘Favourable Conservation’ status of Annex I Reefs. JNCC conservation advice statements (2018) on the overall condition of the site’s qualifying feature indicate that it is in unfavourable condition and therefore needs to be restored to favourable condition.

In Part A, fishing activities currently occurring within the site (data from 2015 – 2019) were screened and grouped into aggregated gear types. Throughout this draft fisheries assessment the data from 2015-2019 is referred to as the current levels of activity. Fishing activity which occurs within the site was derived using Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data from 2015 – 2019. No fishing activity with other gear types was found to occur within the site and thus no pressure-feature interactions were identified and was not taken forward for further assessment. As no fisheries activity with the potential to have a likely significant effect on the protected feature, or an adverse effect on site integrity were identified, no further fisheries management options were considered.

The full extent of Hatton Bank SAC has been closed to bottom fisheries since 2014 under Recommendation 19 : 2014 on area management measures for the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the NEAFC Regulatory Area, as amended. Further restrictions under Regulation (EU) 2016/2336 ^[1]prohibit the use of bottom-set gillnets, entangling nets, and trammel nets at depths greater than 200 meters.

Considering the management already within the site and absence of fishing activity which could potentially have a significant effect on the protected feature or result in adverse effect on site integrity, Scottish Ministers identified that there are no further management options to be considered.

The decision as to which, if any management to be taken forward will be made following a statutory public consultation exercise and will be taken in the light of all relevant obligations incumbent upon the Scottish Ministers in relation to the exercise of their functions.