Management Proposals of Inshore Fisheries Groups: Strategic Environmental Assessment Post Adoption Statement

2. Management Plan Proposals

2.1 Introduction

2.1.1 Each IFG is made up of an Executive Committee and an Advisory Group. The Executive Committee is primarily made up of fishermen's associations with an active membership in the area, and is responsible for debating issues and trying to identify mutually-agreed management proposals. The Advisory Group is made up of broader stakeholders who provide wider and specialist guidance. While the make-up of each Advisory Group varies from IFG area to IFG area, groups concerned with environmental issues have representation (principally Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environment Link and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency).

2.1.2 The Strategic Framework for Inshore Fisheries (2005) outlines five high level objectives (see Table 1 of Annex A). One of these is an environmental objective, defined as being "to maintain and restore the quality of the inshore marine environment for fisheries and for wildlife". As part of the sign-off process for Management Plans, the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Advisory Group ( SIFAG) and successor body the Fisheries Management and Conservation Group ( FMAC) had to state that management proposals were consistent with these high level objectives.

2.1.3 As well as Executive Committees and Advisory Groups, many IFGs also communicated with other bodies and members of the public. For example, several of the IFGs held public meetings at which individuals from outside the usual IFG consultees were invited to give their thoughts on fisheries and management proposals.