Proposal to designate Red Rocks and Longay as a Marine Protected Area: consultation analysis

Terminology and abbreviations

The following abbreviations and terms are used in this report.

BRIA (Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment): The BRIA process looks at the likely costs, benefits and risks of proposed primary or secondary legislation in Scotland. The process can also be used to assess voluntary regulation, codes of practice, guidance, or policy changes that may have an impact on the public, private or third sector.

CMA (Conservation and Management Advice): Formal advice provided by NatureScot in relation to the possible designation of a Marine Protected Area (MPA).

HPMA (Highly Protected Marine Area): A type of Marine Protected Area which offers the strictest possible environmental protections designed to allow the recovery of marine ecosystems.

ICIA (Island Communities Impact Assessment): When a new strategy, policy or service is being developed, an ICIA is used to consider the needs of different island communities and how the proposal will affect them. The aim is to reduce any negative impacts so that everyone will be benefit from a proposal and outcomes for island communities are improved.

IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): An international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy and education.

MCO (Marine Conservation Order): Under the provisions of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, Scottish Ministers have powers to make MCOs, setting out arrangements for regulating activity in Marine Protected Areas.

MPA (Marine Protected Area): Areas of sea managed in such a way as to protect wildlife, geology, and historic features, and to demonstrate sustainable management of the sea.

Bute House Agreement: A shared policy programme and cooperation agreement established in August 2021 between the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Greens.

Creel fishing / creeling: A form of static fishing involving dropping baited baskets onto the seabed to catch shellfish.

Dredge fishing: A form of mobile fishing that involves pulling a rigid structure along the seabed in order to catch bottom-dwelling shellfish.

Flame shell beds: The flame shell or file shell is a bivalve mollusc that live hidden on the seabed in nests, which they build from shells, stones and other materials. Hundreds of nests can combine to form a dense bed, which raises and stabilises the seabed and makes it attractive to many other creatures.

Geodiversity: Geodiversity refers to the variety of the geological and physical elements of nature, such as minerals, rocks, soils, fossils and landforms, and active geological and geomorphological processes. Biodiversity and geodiversity together constitute the natural diversity of planet Earth.

Maerl beds: Maerl is a purple-pink hard seaweed that forms spiky underwater 'carpets' on the seabed, known as 'maerl beds'. As a type of 'coralline' algae, maerl deposits lime in its cell walls as it grows, creating a hard, brittle skeleton.

Marine Protected Area Network: The Scottish MPA network includes sites for nature conservation, protection of biodiversity, demonstrating sustainable management, and protecting our heritage.

Marine (Scotland) Act 2010: Legislation which places a duty on Scottish Ministers to protect and enhance the marine environment, including through measures to help boost economic investment and growth in areas such as marine renewables.

Mobile fishing activities / mobile gear: Fishing using dredge, trawl or similar devices (gear) that are designed to be towed or pushed to take any sea fisheries resources.

Nephrops: Nephrops norvegicus (also known as Norway lobster, langoustine, scampi, and Dublin Bay prawn) is a mud burrowing marine decapod crustacean.

Pelagic fishing: Fishing that takes place in water above the seabed.

Qualitative analysis: A type of analysis that is based on non-numeric information, with a focus on exploring and understanding attitudes and behaviours.

Quantitative analysis: A type of analysis that is based on numeric data with a focus on measuring the prevalence of, trends in, or relationship between phenomena, attributes, attitudes, behaviours, etc.

Quaternary of Scotland: During the Quaternary (the last 2.6 million years), thick ice sheets accumulated over Scotland on at least five separate occasions. These ice sheets have had a huge influence on the morphology and appearance of the present Scottish seabed, producing a range of landforms and deposits.

Static fishing activities / static gear: Fishing using creels, gill nets or similar devices (gear) which is set to allow fish to swim into it, or to attract fish by bait, thus causing the fish to become caught in the gear.

Trawl fishing: A form of mobile fishing that involves pulling a net through water behind a boat to catch fish.