Fisheries management measures within Scottish Offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): consultation analysis

Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA)

Many respondents did not provide comments on the ICIA, or said it was not applicable to them. One respondent noted they found the table provided useful. Amongst the rest of those who did provide comments, the main themes were that the partial assessment is insufficient, for a number of reasons.

Missing community costs

Some argued that the full impacts should be assessed for individual islands, rather than a single blanket assessment, and some felt that this indicated lack of understanding or care for island communities and seemed incomplete. Respondents felt the harm to the fishing industry and island way of life was not adequately represented. This sentiment was particularly strong concerning communities in Shetland, where respondents felt the historical, cultural and economic significance of the fishing industry and communities’ relationships with the sea were not fully taken into consideration in the partial assessment. One respondent suggested that the “Human and Indigenous Rights of the people of Shetland” are being “legally violated” with these proposals [Individual].

Missing community benefits

Others argued the ICIA was incomplete because it lacked information on how the communities would benefit from implementation of these measures, as well as the costs to island communities in the case of inaction:

“The ICIA should consider how promoting high-welfare and sustainable fishing practices can support island communities economically and culturally. Welfare-focused measures, like limiting destructive fishing methods, not only protect marine biodiversity but also ensure that local communities continue to benefit from a sustainable, resilient fishery that supports livelihoods and cultural heritage.” [Organisation]

“It [the ICIA] fails to detail the costs to the environment, the fishing industry, and wider society of taking no action.” [Organisation]

Need for community support

A couple of responses mentioned that they are supportive of these measures for environmental reasons, however due to the socioeconomic impacts these measures will have on island communities, financial support and incentives should be provided to those who are dependent on these industries. One respondent said this is necessary whilst they shift towards becoming more sustainable; another questioned the ethics of fishing more broadly.

Full impacts are unclear

Reflecting responses to previous questions, there were also a few comments that the ICIA did not include enough international engagement or consideration, particularly with regards to EU member states’ vessels. A handful of respondents also noted that the impact on the mobile demersal sector is not entirely clear due to estimated impacts being compared with the entire Scottish Fleet.

Summary

Comments on the Partial ICIA were largely from respondents who believed the assessment to be incomplete, particularly due to missing information about the economic impacts from the management measures, both the costs and benefits, depending on the respondent’s attitude towards the measures.