Public Consultation on Fisheries Management Measures within Scottish Offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

7. Consultation

7.1 Part 1 Consultation Overview – Fisheries Management Measures

In part 1 of the consultation, we are seeking views and comments on proposed fisheries management measures for 20 MPAs within the Scottish offshore region. We also seek views and comments on key draft documents which provide the rationale, evidence, and assess potential impacts of the proposals.

The following documents provide further detail on the protected sites and the measures, along with the assessments of potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of the proposed fisheries management measures, as well as any statutory assessments required. These documents should be considered when responding to this consultation.

1. Sustainability Appraisal (SA), assessment of environmental, social and economic effects – Drafted by marine consultants ABPmer on behalf of Scottish Government, the Sustainability Appraisal provides a high-level overview of the cumulative impacts of the proposed fisheries management measures. It is comprised of the high-level findings of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Report (SEA) and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA).

2. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) - drafted by marine consultants ABPmer on behalf of Scottish Government, the SEA assesses the environmental impacts of the proposed fisheries management measures.

3. Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) – drafted by marine consultants ABPmer and Eftec on behalf of Scottish Government, the SEIA identifies and assesses potential economic and social effects of the proposed fisheries management measures.

4. Partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessments (BRIAs) - the partial BRIAs presents an initial assessment of the potential costs, benefits and risks of introducing fisheries management measures and their potential impact on public, private and third sectors. Two BRIAs have been produced, one for 10 sites in the North-North Sea, and one for 11 sites in North West Waters (21 sites are assessed due to the inclusion of Turbot Bank as discussed above).

5. Partial Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) – the partial ICIA screening report seeks to complete the first two stages of the ICIA process by identifying whether there are issues which merit further exploration with Island communities and representatives. Consultation responses will be used to complete the screening report and determine whether a full ICIA is required to assess the proposed fisheries management measures in MPAs within the Scottish offshore region.

6. A high-level summary document – this document provides a high level overview of each site, including conservation objectives and the proposed fisheries management measures, along with a site specific summary of the assessed socio-economic and environmental impacts.

7. A site proposal document, outlining the proposed measures for each MPA with conservation and management advice - this is a substantial document providing detailed information on each of the sites along with the advice submitted by JNCC, the proposed fisheries management options and associated risks. It also provides information on how measures have been developed. The full Fisheries Options Papers for each site provided by JNCC are available on the JNCC website on JNCC’s Resource Hub and are linked to throughout the site proposal document.

8. Draft Fisheries Assessments – Draft Fisheries Assessments assess the potential impacts commercial fishing activity in respect of the site’s conservation objectives, or site integrity. Final versions will be published when the final measures are adopted by Scottish Ministers.