Key Scottish Environment Statistics 2009

Footnotes

1) In 1999, a further 37 bathing waters were added to the 23 already identified. Two of these were inland bathing waters and are not included with the data presented here. Both have complied with the standards in every year since 1999. In 2006, 3 additional bathing waters were included. In 2007, three sites were de-designated and one site was split into two. In 2008, one site was de-designated, 19 new coastal waters were added and one inland water was added (not included in the data).
2) From 1999 to 2008, the percentage compliance of the 23 (22 in 2007 and 2008) original bathing waters with the mandatory standards was 87%, 83%, 78%, 96%, 100%, 96%, 96%, 100%, 77% and 86% respectively. In 2007, one of the original bathing water sites was dropped.
3) Advice on the status of fish stocks is provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas ( ICES). It gives annual advice on the basis of fish stock assessments that are carried out using commercial fisheries data. At each annual advisory meeting the most recent commercial fisheries data that is considered would have been collected during the calendar year preceding the meeting. In other words, advice given in 2006 would have been based on an analysis of commercial fisheries data collected up to and including 2005; advice in 2007 would have used data collected up to and including 2006, and so on. Moreover, an assessment undertaken for any year can provide information on the state of a stock at either the start or the end of that year. In 2007 ICES changed the way in which its advice was framed. Prior to 2007, it gave advice relative to the state of stocks at the start of the most recent data year in the stock assessments, but since 2007 it has published its advice in relation to the stock status at the end of the most recent year in the assessments. Although the indicators shown here are labelled consistently and relative to the most recent data year of the assessments that contributed to the annual ICES advice, readers should note the subtle change of interpretation since 2007.
4) Data on fish stock is collected from fish landings, discards and research vessel surveys. This information is used by ICES to assess the size of a stock's sustainable stock biomass.
5) The fish stocks assessed are: North Sea Cod, North Sea Haddock, North Sea Herring, North Sea Norway Pout, North Sea Sand Eel, North Sea and West of Scotland Saithe, West of Scotland Cod, West of Scotland Haddock, Rockall Haddock, Northern Hake and North East Atlantic Mackerel.
6) ICES (2008). Report of the ICES Advisory Committee on Fishery Management, Advisory Committee on the Marine Environment and Advisory Committee on Ecosystems, 2008.