Draft Partial Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) – Fisheries Management Measures within Scottish Offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

3. Step Three- Consultation

3.1 Is there any information already gathered through previous engagement. Who are your key stakeholders?

Extensive engagement with a full range of stakeholders has been undertaken, and the fisheries management measures referred to here were developed with stakeholders to ensure the correct balance between achieving the conservation objectives of the sites and allowing sustainable fishing activities to continue where possible. All proposed measures are subject to public consultation and consultation results will be assessed and addressed as needed.

From 2013-2016 Scottish Government held a series of stakeholder workshops where the potential fisheries management measures were discussed for the offshore sites. These workshops were attended by fishing industry representatives, environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (eNGOs) and marine scientists. The proposals and views expressed for each site were taken into account at each workshop with the aim to balance the protection of the marine ecosystem against the socio-economic fishing interests. Following delays due to Brexit and Covid-19, updates to proposals following the availability of new evidence were presented to stakeholders in throughout in January to April 2022.

Prior to Brexit, co-ordination and consultation with EU member states and the relevant involvement of the North Sea Advisory Council and North Western Waters Advisory Council has taken place. This engagement involved presentations of revised fisheries management proposals and invites to the previously mentioned workshops. We will be writing and sharing the proposals with EU commission and relevant member states and inviting them to comment and share their views in the public consultation.

Key Stakeholders

Fisheries management measures are likely to be of interest to all sea users, group and individuals who have a vested interest in the marine environment and its health and protection.

Due to the location and level of restriction that these proposed fisheries management measures will place on sea users, particularly the commercial fishing sector, we would envisage that stakeholders most likely to be impacted by their implementation would include commercial fisheries sector and environmental groups.

We would not rule out the possibility of other sectors such as Miliary and Defence, Oil and Gas, Seabed Mining, Shipping, Aquaculture (Finfish, Shellfish and Seaweed), Recreational Angling and Boating and Tourism having an interest in these management measures.

Specifically, a number of stakeholders who have engaged with Officials throughout the development process of the draft management measures would include the following we would expect to respond to the public consultation;

• Aberdeen Producers Organisation
• Hooktone Ltd
• Oceana
• Orkney Fisheries Association (OFA)
• Open Seas
• Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF)
• Scottish White Fish Producers Association (SWFPA)
• SE Link (and associated members)

This draft document will be consulted on as part of the overall public consultation on the proposed measures. Any relevant information will then be added within this partial ICIA prior to the publication of the final ICIA.

3.2 How long will you carry out your consultation and in what timescales? Public meetings/ local authorities/ key stakeholders?

We have engaged with sector stakeholders and eNGOs in the preparation of this strategy (see paragraph 3.1). As part of the legislative process of implementing new policy, we will be consulting on the proposed fisheries management measures in a 8-week public consultation in 2024.

This would therefore be an appropriate stage in the process to carry out further engagement on how to ensure the policy may impact the needs of different island communities, if they have not already been quantified through targeted stakeholder engagement and assessments.

As we progress the policy development stages we will undertake stakeholder engagement events, as necessary. Planned consultation events will be sent through the stakeholder mailing list and through Marine Directorate social media channels and information available upon request to marine_biodiversity@gov.scot. We encourage and are always keen to hear the views of our stakeholders at any point throughout the process.

Some of the main points for engagement with stakeholders throughout the policy process has been and will include;

1. Meetings with representative stakeholders to inform of site development progress.

2. Workshop sessions with representative stakeholders prior to the launch of the public consultation to inform of the Sustainability Appraisal completion.

3. A 8-week statutory public consultation on the proposed fisheries management measures, both for inshore and offshore programmes respectively.

4. Engagement sessions and requested meetings during the public consultation on the fisheries management measures while the consultations are live.

3.3 What questions will you ask when considering how to address island realities?

Throughout the consultation document we will provide opportunities for the public and stakeholders to provide comments and feedback under each site proposal where respondents can highlight if there are specific impacts to island communities which have not been accounted for. In addition, we will also provide the opportunity for specific feedback on the various impact assessments including the Sustainability Appraisal, SEIA, SEA, partial Business Regulatory Impact Assessments (BRIAs), draft Fisheries Assessments and this partial ICIA.

3.4 Will there be separate consultation events for island communities/Local Authorities/ key stakeholders?

See paragraph 3.2. We will be holding consultation engagement sessions while the public consultation is live. These will be open for the public and stakeholders to attend in person and online, irrespective of whether they are based on the mainland or on the islands.

3.5 How will the views of island communities be gathered through consultations.

This ICIA will be available for the public and stakeholders to view and comment on during the 8-week public consultation process. There will be specific question within the consultation relating to the ICIA and those wishing to can submit their views. We will gather all comments and complete a consultation analysis report.