Sandeel fishing - closure proposals: strategic environmental assessment - post adoption statement

2. The Strategic Environmental Assessment process

The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 (The 2005 Act) requires public bodies in Scotland to carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on their plans, programmes and strategies^[2]. A SEA is a way of examining plans, programmes and strategies as they develop, to identify any significant effects they may have on the environment to ensure that environmental considerations are taken into account. A SEA also aims to build in mitigation measures to avoid or minimise any potentially significant adverse effects on the environment and look for opportunities to enhance a strategy's environmental performance.

This SEA process began with the production of a combined Screening and Scoping Report which was published in May 2023, setting out the proposed approach to the SEA, including the proposed scope and level of detail. Representations received from the SEA Consultation Authorities^[3] at the scoping stage helped to inform the following stages of the SEA process.

The assessment stage of the SEA was progressed, and the Draft Environmental Report was published for consultation on 21 July 2023^[4] together with the following documents:

• Consultation paper on proposals to close fishing for sandeel in all Scottish waters
• Review of the Scientific Evidence
• Partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment
• Data Protection Impact Assessment

Following consultation, an independent analysis of all consultation responses received was carried out^[5]. This formed part of the report by the Scottish Government that outlines how the views expressed informed the decision made by Scottish Government to close fishing for sandeel in all Scottish waters^[6].

This Post Adoption Statement concludes the SEA process and sets out those ways in which the findings of the Environmental Report, and the views expressed by consultees in relation to the Environmental Report have been taken into account.

Section 18(3) of the 2005 Act sets out the information that should be included in the Post Adoption Statement. This can be summarised as:

• How the environmental considerations have been integrated into the plan, programme, or strategy (see Section 3 below);
• How the Environmental Report has been taken into account (see Section 4 below);
• How the opinions of consultees have been taken into account (see Section 5 below);
• The reasons for choosing the plan, programme or strategy as adopted, in light of the other reasonable alternatives considered (see Section 6 below); and
• The measures to be taken to monitor the significant environmental effects of the implementation of the plan, programme or strategy (see Section 7 below).