A significant amount of work on the 21 Scottish-led Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) has been completed. This work is complex and requires further stakeholder engagement and consultation. The Marine Directorate has undertaken pre-consultation with stakeholders which will inform the first formal consultation planned for autumn 2025. Discussions with stakeholders were held last year and, more recently, in February, May and June, we held workshops on demersal and Nephrops FMPs with plans for further workshops on pelagic FMPs in the coming months. The fisheries policy authorities intend to deliver the FMPs according to the timescales set out in Annex A of the Joint Fisheries Statement by the end of 2026.

For offshore Marine Protected Areas, the Scottish Government has completed its public consultation on proposed fisheries management measures and published the consultation analysis. The Scottish Government expects to announce the final measures in autumn 2025, with implementation to follow within the same calendar year. For inshore Marine Protected Areas, the Scottish Government is completing the necessary statutory assessments and aims to consult on proposed measures in the coming months