Publish the UK Dolphin, Porpoise and Whale Conservation Strategy and begin delivery of actions relevant to Scotland to conserve and manage pressures acting on these species.
Objective 4: Protect and support the recovery of vulnerable and important species and habitats
Priority Action 22. Manage existing and emerging pressures to improve the conservation status of seabirds, marine mammals and elasmobranchs.
The UK Dolphin, Porpoise and Whale Conservation Strategy has been published, setting out actions to address pressures on cetaceans including bycatch, underwater noise, disturbance, and pollution.
The strategy applies across UK waters, including Scotland. However, there is no published Scotland-specific delivery plan or reporting framework setting out how actions under the strategy are being implemented in Scottish waters.
Relevant conservation mechanisms in Scotland are evidenced through existing frameworks, including legal protection of cetaceans under the Habitats Regulations, the Marine Protected Area network, and fisheries policy work on bycatch monitoring and mitigation, but these are not yet clearly reported as coordinated delivery under the strategy.
The UK strategy is based on established evidence that cetaceans are affected by bycatch, underwater noise, prey availability, contaminants, and disturbance, as identified in UK marine policy and NatureScot species guidance.
In Scotland, cetaceans are protected under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994, and are supported by spatial protection through Marine Protected Areas and ongoing fisheries policy work addressing bycatch risks. However, ecological outcomes depend on implementation of targeted measures under the strategy. As there is no published evidence of Scotland-specific delivery or measurable outcomes linked to the strategy, ecological benefits remain policy-based rather than demonstrated through implementation.
UK Government – Dolphin, Porpoise and Whale Conservation Strategy
NatureScot – Protected species: dolphins, whales and porpoisesn
NatureScot – Marine Protected Areas
Scottish Government – Future Catching Policy consultation
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