8 Stakeholder feedback
As discussed in Section 6, stakeholder feedback on the Literature Review and Good Practice Guidance was sought. All stakeholder comments were compiled and incorporated into the documents where appropriate. Several key responses in relation to key topics were provided as part of feedback received for the Literature Review and Good Practice Guidance (Table 8.1).
Table 8.1 Key Topics Raised in Stakeholder Feedback for the Literature Review and Good Practice Guidance
| Topic |
Request / Feedback |
| Literature Review |
| Definition of displacement |
- Request for the consideration of secondary displacement (i.e. fisheries displacement resulting from the displacement of other vessels).
- Request for the inclusion of the impacts of displacement on the marine environment.
|
| Sensitivity of displacement |
- Request that additional factors included which influence availability of grounds, including target species range, distribution and seasonality, other licensed activities and regulations. Other factors which influence sensitivity to displacement were also suggested, such as distance from home port.
|
| Commercial fisheries activities and operating practices |
- Clarity sought from fisheries stakeholders on operating practices and vessel parameters for the fishing methods considered to be primary research areas (demersal trawling, scallop dredging, Scottish seine netting and creeling).
|
| Data sources |
- Requested that greater emphasis on the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (Scottish Government, 2020a) with a discussion around the consultation process.
- Request for the inclusion of more EU studies within the Literature Review.
|
| Co-existence |
- Request for clarity on evidence for fishing returning in operational offshore windfarms and the factors that influence this.
- Request for co-existence to be considered in terms of all sectors (e.g. those discussed within Scottish National Marine Plan).
|
| Glossary |
- Suggestion of including a glossary to define key terms.
|
| EIA case studies |
- Suggestion for inclusion of another Forth and Tay offshore wind farm.
|
| Good Practice Guidance |
| Definition of displacement |
- Request for details on 'primary' and 'secondary' displacement to be added.
|
| Impacts of displacement |
- Request to include the impacts of displacement within the Good Practice Guidance.
|
| Magnitude of displacement |
- Consideration of displacement during pre-construction and operational surveys.
|
| Commercial fisheries data |
- Improvements to data on under 10 m vessel fishing activity needed
- The importance of effective consultation was raised several times
- Additional detail on how to analyse commercial fisheries data was requested (e.g. number of years of data required)
- Request for the inclusion of an 'other data' section which details additional sources of data outwith the key sources already listed
- Recommendation to include Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups as a key consultee for inshore fisheries
- Additional suggestions for commercial fisheries data sources provided
- Clarity on commercial fisheries data sources provided
|
| Commercial fisheries gear configuration and operating practices |
- Information from fisheries stakeholders provided on vessel parameters and gear configurations (see note1).
|
| Assessment process |
- Request for a worked example to be added to good practice guidance, or further details on the assessment process.
- Requested information on how to assess where fishing activity is likely to be displaced to.
- Request for additional details on FLO and FIR involvement in commercial fisheries assessments
- Suggestion to include a flow chart of the assessment process
|
| Cumulative impacts |
- Request to include more detail on how projects for cumulative assessments are identified and how to assess these against the development
- Request to include in-combination impacts.
|
Note1 Fisheries representatives from the SFF and SWFPA and a representative from Seafish contributed to this section of the Good Practice Guidance.
Topics raised by stakeholders, but that were considered to be outwith the scope of this Literature Review and Good Practice Guidance, have been included as knowledge gaps or areas of future research:
- Inclusion of socio-economic aspects of displacement within the Literature Review and Guidance;
- Request for guidance on post-consent monitoring of commercial fishing during construction and operation;
- Consideration of displacement from site investigation surveys which do not require licenses specific to commercial fisheries;
- Improvements to stakeholder consultation approach; and
- Need for improved commercial fisheries data accuracy and accessibility, especially for smaller vessels.
