Fishing equipment could be banned from some marine protected areas 

Types of fishing equipment could be banned from areas of the seas around Scotland – including Shetland.

The Scottish government has proposed the introduction of new fisheries management measures for 20 sites currently designated as marine protected areas (MPAs).

Its consultation proposes either zoned or full restrictions on the use of specified types of fishing equipment – demersal mobile and static gear – at 15 of these sites.

For the remaining five sites, the consultation proposes a full site-wide exclusion of specified gear types where this is the only suitable option to achieve conservation objectives.

This comes less than a year after the government was forced to abandon its plans to create highly protected marine areas (HPMAs), which would have banned fishing from around 10 per cent of Scottish waters.

HPMA proposals were met with fierce opposition from the Shetland fishing fleet and the wider industry.

The Shetland Fisherman’s Association, which opposed HPMAs, said there were “important distinctions” between these and the MPAs, which have been under development for more than a decade.

The SFA said it was committed to responding to the new consultation to ensure the interests of local fishing crews were not unfairly impacted – and to ensure an “evidence-based approach” from government.

SFA executive officer Daniel Lawson said Shetland fishermen had always been supportive of “sensible conservation measures”, as their livelihoods relied on a healthy marine environment.

“They participated fully in the process to designate these MPAs, and will continue to do so as fisheries management measures are now introduced – as agreed over previous years between industry, government and environmental NGOs,” he added

“Marine protected areas were designed to protect specific identified marine habitats or species on the seabed, compared to the recently abandoned plans for HPMAs – which tried to close whole areas of sea to fishing with little evidence or justification.

“Fishing crews question the government’s assertion of a biodiversity crisis in Scotland’s seas, and want to see an evidenced based approach that clearly identifies the proposed problems – and proves how stopping legitimate fishing activity could be part of the solution.

“In a community like Shetland which gains so much from our seas, we must strive to strike the sensible balance between conservation and sustainable use.”

Scotland’s existing network of 230 Marine Protected Areas has been introduced since 2010, and now covers 37 per cent of Scottish waters.

This consultation is the latest stage of that process, to introduce the proposed fisheries management measures to 20 of these MPA sites which have not yet been officially implemented.

The Scottish government’s secretary for net zero and energy Gillian Martin said Scotland had a “beautiful and diverse” marine ecosystems.

“However, the twin biodiversity and climate crises mean we must act now to support the recovery and resilience of our marine environment, and the sustainability of the communities and industries that rely on it,” she added.

“Marine protected areas already provide focused protection for the species and habitats in our waters.

“By implementing proposed fisheries management measures, we can further guard against further biodiversity loss, help to restore high priority marine features and make a greater contribution to supporting and maintaining the marine ecosystem, which in turn supports our long-term food security. 

“This will help ensure our seas remain a source of prosperity for the nation, especially in our coastal and island communities.

“These proposals are the result of many years of development and we will continue to consult very closely with industry and coastal communities to hear their views.”

The consultation will run until 14th October.