Deliver fisheries management measures for Priority Marine Features identified as most at risk from bottom contacting mobile fishing gear outwith MPAs.
Objective 3: Embed nature positive Farming, Fishing and Forestry
Priority Action 16. Implement fisheries measures in vulnerable marine ecosystems and to protect Priority Marine Features outside MPAs
The proposed fisheries management measures for Priority Marine Features (PMFs) at risk from bottom-contacting mobile gear outside Marine Protected Areas have not yet progressed to formal consultation. However, Marine Scotland has completed the supporting evidence base and fisheries–environment interaction assessments, and draft spatial management proposals have been published ahead of consultation. At present, there is no implemented management regime in place for these measures, and no regulatory changes have been enacted.
The ecological rationale for protecting PMFs from bottom-contacting mobile fishing gear is strongly supported in Scottish marine evidence. Bottom trawling impacts are well documented by Marine Scotland science and international marine ecology research as a key pressure on seabed habitats, particularly for fragile benthic features that underpin biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, ecological effectiveness depends entirely on implementation of spatial restrictions or gear management measures, not the publication of assessments or draft proposals. As these measures have not yet progressed to consultation or enforcement, there is currently no measurable ecological benefit delivered.
On this basis, the potential ecological contribution is high, but the current realised contribution remains limited due to lack of implementation.
Scottish Government – Marine Environment
Marine Scotland
NatureScot – Marine and coastal work
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