Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Volume 5 Number 17: ScotMap Inshore Fisheries Mapping in Scotland: Recording Fishermen's use of the Sea

2. Introduction

Marine planning relies on robust data on marine resources and usage. Capture fisheries are major users of Scotland's seas. Fishing is carried out by a diverse fleet, in terms of vessel types and sizes and the species targeted. Marine Scotland requires a detailed understanding of the nature and value of fishing in Scottish Territorial Waters to inform policy in relation to the sustainable development of offshore renewable energy, nature conservation and fisheries management and in the wider context of marine spatial planning.

Information on the activity and value of landings for larger vessels, those greater than 15 m in length, is available from satellite-based Vessel Monitoring Systems ( VMS) offering bi-hourly location data which can be linked to landings information. The Scottish fishing fleet, however, includes a substantial number (ca. 82%) of smaller fishing vessels, those less than 15 m in length, that are not currently fitted with VMS. Information about where these vessels fish is based on landings data which, because they are reported at the ICES statistical rectangle level, are of relatively poor spatial resolution and of limited utility for marine planning. In addition, these small vessels fish mainly in inshore waters where the competition for space is often greatest.

Recognising the need for better information on the under 15 m fleet, Marine Scotland carried out a fishery mapping project known as ScotMap. The aim of ScotMap was to provide detailed, spatially resolved information on commercial inshore fishing activity around Scotland, including:

• definition of the areas fished;
• seasonal usage (the months of the year in which areas are fished);
• the species fished for;
• the fishing method/gear used;
• the number of people employed, and;
• the contribution different sea areas make to income from fishing.

ScotMap uses a participatory mapping and questionnaire approach originally developed for the FisherMap project by des Clers et al., (2008) and subsequently modified for use in the Finding Sanctuary project and other Marine Conservation Zones ( MCZ) projects in England and Wales. The method has been used to collect spatial and economic data on fisheries and also on charter boats, sea angling and water sports. In the case of commercial fisheries, individual skippers or owners of vessels were interviewed. The revised protocol allowed for mapping of fishing grounds, the main target species, the gear used and linked individual grounds to a measure of their relative economic value (percentage gross earnings). As part of Balanced Seas MCZ project, the University of Kent developed ArcFish, a graphical user interface ( GUI) linked to ESRI ArcGIS, to facilitate the collection of interview and spatial data. The University of Kent produced a modified version of the ArcFish GUI for use by Marine Scotland in the ScotMap project.

Marine Scotland piloted ScotMap to map commercial fisheries in the Pentland Firth and Orkney waters ( PW& OW) in 2011 and extended the approach to other sea areas around Scotland in 2012 and 2013. The project was jointly managed by members of the Scottish Government's Marine Planning and Policy ( MPP) and Marine Scotland Science ( MSS) divisions. A steering group, comprising fishermen's representatives and Marine Scotland staff was set up to oversee and advise on the pilot project and data collection and treatment. Following data collection and initial analyses, fisheries stakeholders were invited to a series of consultation meetings to view and provide comment on the mapped outputs. It was considered that working with stakeholders, those involved directly involved in fishing, would both improve the detail and resolution of the information and that using the ScotMap methodology would offer a rapid response to policy needs.