Over ten years ago, the Scottish Government introduced a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to protect key habitats and species, as well as to safeguard nursery grounds for commercial species to help ensure a viable future for the fishing industry. It was seen as a landmark moment. But very few restrictions on fishing practices were ever introduced in the MPAs, meaning that scallop dredging and bottom-trawling can still take place in the majority of fragile marine eco-systems.
The Scottish Government has now launched its consultation on Proposed Fisheries Management Measures in Scottish Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Features (PMF) Management Areas. The consultation seeks views on measures that will be put in place for inshore MPAs that still require fisheries management and the 11 PMFs most sensitive to bottom-contacting mobile fishing gears, which are habitats and species of national conservation importance.
The video below explains how to navigate the consultation. You can comment according to marine sites or according to fishing gear type, and there is an interactive map to select sites and view information about them.
Click here to give your comments. Closes on 18 January 2027.