Marine Scotland’s use of surveillance aircraft, drones and inflatable boats: FOI release

Information requested

 

You asked for information on “how many occasions in each year since its inception has Marine Scotland used (a) surveillance aircraft (b) unmanned aerial vehicles or drones and (c) a rigid hulled inflatable boat for marine compliance purposes”.

Response

 

I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested, at annex A.

 

ANNEX A

Surveillance Aircraft

 

YEAR	FLIGHT DAYS
2009	189
2010	327
2011	295
2012	293
2013	223
2014	178
2015	166
2016	208
2017	173
2018	183

 

Comment: As a result of improved risk based tasking of assets, it has not been necessary to maintain the numbers of surveillance flights.  

 

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or “drones”)

 

YEAR	FLIGHTS
2015	14
2016	4
2017	4

 

Comment: drones were used regularly in response to a particular fishery issue which no longer requires their use.

 

Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) on independent patrol

 

YEAR	PATROLS
2014	37
2015	38
2016	39
2017	42
2018	49

 

Comment: all boardings of fishing vessels which are not at the quayside will involve RHIBs.  However, these numbers above reflect independent RHIB patrols only.  These are patrols  which have launched out from land themselves, so do not include RHIB launches from a Marine Protection Vessel (MPV) to transfer boarding officers to a fishing vessel.

 

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