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Strategic Review Of Inshore Fisheries

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Environment and Rural Affairs Department
Fisheries and Rural Development Group

Pentland House
47 Robb’s Loan
Edinburgh EH14 1TY
Telephone: 0131-244 4756/6442
Fax: 0131-244 6288
Inshorefisheries@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
http://www.scotland.gov.uk
18 June 2003

Dear Colleague

STRATEGIC REVIEW OF INSHORE FISHERIES

This paper asks for your views on the way we manage inshore fisheries, and in particular, the way we have used the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984 as a management tool.

The Scottish Executive and the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Advisory Group (SIFAG) have been working on a strategic review of inshore fisheries management over the last 6 months. The 3 key tasks of the review are:

  • To develop a strategy for the management of inshore fisheries;
  • To assess how effective inshore fisheries management has been to date;
  • To consider how we move from the present system to any future system.

This first task is already underway, and SIFAG is steadily working up objectives, principles and indicators to form a draft strategy for the inshore. Once the strategy begins to take shape, we will ask for your views on a draft.

It is the second task that we would appreciate your assistance with. You or your organisation may have participated in the Triennial Review of Inshore Prohibitions in the past. That exercise examined individual prohibitions in areas around Scottish under the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984. However, the triennial review process did not really help us to build a picture of the circumstances in which certain measures worked, why they worked, why they did not work and so forth.

So our aim is to develop a "menu" of measures to include in the inshore strategy. This will help us select the best tool, or combination of tools, to address a particular issue, and the circumstances in which it occurs. This should also improve the transparency in the decision making process.

What are we asking you to do?

In Annex A, we have listed all the sorts of measures we have used in the past (seasonal mobile gear bans, vessel length restrictions, etc). We would like you to indicate whether or not you think these are effective measures, and what their benefits and drawbacks are.

  • You can refer to individual examples of measures, or you can refer to the general principle of a measure.
  • You can comment on all the measures, or only those that are of interest to you.
  • You can comment on the measures from any perspective e.g. fish stocks, economic, environmental etc
  • You can add any measures that are possible under the Act, but that haven't been used to date, or old measures that are no longer in force.
  • For your reference, Annex B provides a list of all the prohibitions presently in place, why they were introduced, and the nature of the prohibition

What are we not asking you to do?

  • We are not asking for views on whether we should repeal or introduce individual measures;
  • We are not asking for general views on an inshore strategy for the future;
  • We are not asking for proposals on measures that aren't possible under the Inshore Act, such as licensing, days at sea etc or Regulating/Several Orders. However, you should feel free to make reference to other management measures in your comments about how effective measures under the Inshore Act are.

While we are interested in your thoughts on all of these things, we will come on to them once a strategy begins to take shape. The strategy may cover some of these issues, and so we would like you to make sure you are aware of developments when commenting on these issues.

How can you record your views?

  • You can type or write comments in the boxes in Annex A, and send us a paper or e-mail copy;
  • Please feel free to continue your comments on a separate page/document
  • If you don't want to use the table in Annex A, you can record your comments in a letter or e-mail;
  • If you would like a different version of these documents (electronic/paper) please see our contact details below.
  • These documents are also available at www.scotland.gov.uk
  • Please tell us who you are and whether you are representing an organisation when you submit your views. This is especially important if you are replying by e-mail, since identities are not always clear from an e-mail address.

What happens next?

We will pool together all comments about the benefits and drawbacks of various measures, and from that draw up a menu which describes the circumstances in which particular measures are most effective. This will ultimately be included in the draft strategy for the inshore.

We expect the first conclusions of the strategic review to begin to emerge during the summer. There will be further opportunities to participate in the development of a strategy, and hopefully SEERAD and SIFAG will be in a position to report on the review by the end of the year.

We have sent this consultation paper to fishermen's organisations, producer organisations, local authorities and other interested organisations. We have also sent it to individuals who have participated in the triennial review process in the past. Please feel free to pass the paper on to anyone you think might be interested in it, or contact us to issue a copy.

Please let us have your views by 15 August 2003. It is normal practice to place responses to consultation exercises in the Scottish Executive library, so please tell us if you wish your response to be kept confidential.

You can submit your views in the following ways:
Inshore Fisheries Branch
SEERAD
Room 510
Pentland House
47 Robb's Loan
EDINBURGH
EH14 1TY
e-mail: inshorefisheries@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
If you would like to discuss any aspect of this exercise, or discuss the strategic review of inshore fisheries more generally, you can call us on the numbers on the front page. We look forward to hearing from you.

signature

signature

GABRIELLA PIERACCINI
Head of Inshore Fisheries Branch

MARTIN RITCHIE
Inshore Fisheries Policy Manager

 

ANNEX A: RESPONSE FORM

TYPE OF MEASURE

EXAMPLES

DOES IT WORK?WHAT DOES IT ACHIEVE?

IN WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES DOES IT WORK?

IN WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES DOES IT NOT WORK?

OTHER COMMENTS

BANS ON MOBILE GEAR

         

ALL YEAR BAN

e.g. Broad Bay, Sinclair Bay etc

       

SEASONAL BAN

e.g. Luce Bay, southern Inner Sound etc

       

WEEKEND BAN

e.g. Firth of Clyde

       

CERTAIN GEAR ONLY

e.g. suction dredging, tractor dredging for cockles etc

       

BANS WITH EXCLUSIONS

e.g. scallop dredging in Sound of Harris etc

       

VESSEL LENGTH RESTRICTIONS

e.g. Firth of Clyde, Firth of Forth

       

BANS ON STATIC GEAR

         

ALL YEAR BAN

e.g. North of Rona,

       

SEASONAL BAN

e.g. Flannan Isles, Bragar to Dell

       

WEEKEND BAN

Not presently used

       

CERTAIN GEAR ONLY

Not presently used

       

CREEL LIMITS?

         

OTHER MEASURES?

         

BANS ON SPECIES

         

ALL YEAR

e.g. cockles in Solway Firth etc

       

SEASONAL

Not presently used

       

BY METHOD

e.g. fishing for shrimp using certain beam trawls in Firth of Forth etc

       

MEASURES NOT PRESENTLY USED

         

E.G.VESSEL POWER RESTRICTIONS

         

OTHER MEASURES?

         

OTHER MEASURES?

         

 

ANNEX B: Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1994
Sea Fisheries Prohibitions

PROHIBITIONS UNDER THE INSHORE ACT
(beginning at south west, anticlockwise to south east)

INTENDED EFFECT

MOBILE GEAR

STATIC GEAR

SPECIES

ALL YEAR

SEASONAL

WEEKEND

CERTAIN GEAR

EXCLUSIONS

VESSEL LENGTH

ALL YEAR

SEASONAL

ALL YEAR

BY METHOD

Ban on fishing for cockles by vehicle in Scottish inshore waters

To protect cockle stocks.

                   

Ban on fishing for cockles in the Solway Firth

To protect cockle stocks.

                   

Ban on fishing for shrimp by certain beam trawls and otter trawls in the Solway Firth

To protect shrimp stocks.

                   

Ban (Mar-Aug) on mobile gear boats in Luce Bay.

To protect plaice and other juvenile fish stocks. Sea angling and MoD interests also taken into account.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats (except those dredging for mussels and oysters) in Loch Ryan.

To prevent conflict with sea anglers and in consideration of navigational issues in the Loch.

                   

Ban (Feb-Apr) on mobile gear boats in Ballantrae Bank.

To protect fish spawning grounds.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats in the Gare Loch.

To prevent interaction with RN boats.

                   

Ban (weekend) on mobile gear boats in Firth of Clyde.

As a conservation measure but has also served to prevent gear conflict at weekends.

                   

Ban on boats over 70ft fishing in Firth of Clyde (except those fishing for pelagic species).

To protect nephrops stocks in particular.

                   

Ban on suction dredging in Loch Sween.

To protect seabed habitats and shellfish stocks.

                   

Ban (Oct-Mar) on mobile gear boats, and ban on suction dredging, and ban on demersal trawlers over 12m, and ban on fishing with more than a single trawl in the southern Inner Sound and Lochs Carron, Kishorn, Duich, Alsh and Hourn;

To complement a comparative analysis of prawn trawl/creel fisheries in the area and to ease gear conflict.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats (except those fishing for scallops in a defined area) and suction dredging in the northern Inner Sound and Loch Torridon

To complement a comparative analysis of prawn trawl/creel fisheries in the area and to ease gear conflict.

                   

Ban on creel fishing North of Rona

To complement a comparative analysis of prawn trawl/creel fisheries in the area and to ease gear conflict.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats in Loch Gairloch

To protect herring spawning grounds.

                   

Ban (Oct-Mar) on mobile gear boats, and ban on suction dredging in Little Loch Broom and Gruinard Bay

To protect herring spawning grounds, seabed habitats and shellfish stocks.

                   

Ban (Oct-Mar) on mobile gear boats, and ban on suction dredging in Enard Bay

To protect herring spawning grounds, seabed habitats and shellfish stocks.

                   

Ban (Oct-Mar) on mobile gear boats, and ban on suction dredging, in Eddrachilis Bay

To protect herring spawning grounds, seabed habitats and shellfish stocks

                   

Ban (Oct-Mar) on mobile gear boats, and ban on suction dredging in Loch Laxford

To protect herring spawning grounds, seabed habitats and shellfish stocks

                   

Ban (Mar-Oct) on mobile gear boats (except those fishing for sandeels), and ban on suction dredging from Stuley Island to Barra Head and Gurney Point

To prevent gear conflict, and to protect seabed habitats and shellfish stocks.

                   

Ban (Mar-Oct) on mobile gear boats (except those fishing for scallops) and ban on suction dredging between Loch Maddy and Stuley Island

To prevent gear conflict and to protect seabed habitats and shellfish stocks

                   

Ban (Mar-Sept) on mobile gear boats (except those fishing for scallops) and ban on suction dredging in Sound of Harris

To prevent gear conflict and to protect seabed habitats and shellfish stocks

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats in Broad Bay.

To protect juvenile fish stocks.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boars in Loch Roag.

To protect fish stocks.

                   

Ban on suction dredging between Gallan Head and Aird Barvas.

To protect seabed habitats and shellfish stocks.

                   

Ban (Dec-Mar) on creel fishing around Flannan Isles.

To protect shellfish stocks.

                   

Ban (July-Sept) on creel fishing from Bragar to Dell.

To protect shellfish stocks.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats in Thurso and Dunnet Bays.

To protect juvenile fish stocks and prevent gear conflict.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats in Sinclair Bay.

To protect juvenile fish stocks.

                   

Ban (May-Sept) on mobile gear boats from the Berry to Costa Head.

To protect fish stocks and prevent gear conflict.

                   

Ban on mobile gear (except those dredging for mussels), and ban on suction dredging, in the Dornoch Firth.

To protect fish stocks.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats (except those dredging for cockles and mussels) and ban on suction dredging in the Cromarty Firth.

To protect juvenile herring stocks.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats (except those dredging for cockles & mussels) and ban on suction dredging in the Inverness Firth.

To protect juvenile herring stocks.

                   

Ban (Oct-Mar) on mobile gear boats from Aberdeen to Mons Craig.

To protect juvenile herring stocks.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats between Mons Craig and Doolie Ness.

To prevent gear conflict.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats within 0.5 mile, and ban (Oct-Mar) on mobile gear boats within 1 mile between Doolie Ness and Lang Craig

To prevent gear conflict.

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats between Lang Craig and Arbroath.

To prevent gear conflict

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats in St Andrews Bay.

To protect fish stocks.

                   

Ban on boats over 55ft fishing in Firth of Forth (except those fishing for pelagic species)

To protect nephrops stocks

                   

Ban on mobile gear boats in St Abbs/Eyemouth area.

To prevent gear conflict.

                   

 

 

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