Partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (North West Waters) - Fisheries Management Measures within Scottish Offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

Consumer Assessment

The Scottish Government definition of a consumer is “anyone who buys goods or digital content, or uses goods or services either in the private of public sector, now or in the future.”

Due to restrictions on fisheries proposed under this policy, there is potential for a short-term reduction in landings, but it is not anticipated this will impact the availability of goods for an average consumer. The measures are estimated to reduce the average annual value of output landed by the commercial fisheries sector by between £0.64 m - £1.14 m (Option 1) and £1.27 m - £2.75 m (Option 2), out of a total annual turnover of around £600 million for Scottish vessels^[26].

Under Option 2 there are higher impacts on landings, leading to potential for an increase in price for the consumer. It is not possible to quantify this potential increase. The annual loss in volume of landings is estimated to be 1,775 - 3,770 (tonnes) under Option 1, and 3,369 – 6,858 (tonnes) under Option 2. In 2019, Scottish vessels landed 393,000 tonnes^[27]. This equates to 0.45%-1.75% of landings impacted.

It is anticipated that fisheries displacement will mitigate some of these impacts. The anticipated environmental protection will also provide benefits to fish stock recovery (discussed in benefits), which will support fisheries in the longer term.