Chamber and committees

To mitigate risks in areas where static fishing gear is permitted, the Scottish Government considers the following controls necessary?

Spatial protection measures to restrict fishing activities have been introduced for different reasons including nature conservation, stock control and gear conflict. These restrictions affect a range of gears and are not limited to mobile gears.

The Scottish Government’s consultation on Fisheries management measures for inshore marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas, seeks views on proposed fisheries management measures across 76 MPAs and 90 proposed PMF management areas

There are a range of fishing gears that are under consideration by the proposed fisheries management measures, including mechanical dredge, hydraulic dredge, demersal trawl, beam trawl, static gear and pelagic seine gear. For MPAs the aim is to spatially and/or temporally avoid, remove or limit the direct and indirect pressures associated with certain fishing gears on qualifying or protected sensitive habitats and species within the areas. For the proposed PMF management areas proposed measures are for demersal mobile gears only.

Where possible two management options are given at consultation, zonal and full site closure. Measures for each site and area will be considered individually.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02316 on 24 August 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken a specific assessment, taking account of the current composition of the fishing fleet, of the potential contribution of "static-gear reserves" as a distinct fisheries management measure to the recovery of inshore fish populations. The establishment of static-gear reserves is not current Scottish Government policy.

The Scottish Government's current approach is to improve the sustainability and management of Scotland's fisheries through a range of measures. This includes implementation of the Future Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030 and associated Future Catching Policy, which aim to ensure fishing activity operates sustainably while minimising environmental impacts, alongside measures to improve monitoring and selectivity.

More broadly, the Scottish Government is delivering a range of marine conservation measures to support biodiversity and ecosystem recovery. Around 37% of Scotland's seas are designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), exceeding the global target to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030. Fisheries management measures for MPAs containing some of the most sensitive habitats in the Scottish MPA network were introduced in 2016. Work is ongoing to implement the remaining fisheries management measures across the MPA network and for the 11 most sensitive Priority Marine Features (PMFs) where further protection from bottom-contacting mobile fishing gear is considered necessary, and a consultation on proposals for additional protections for inshore MPAs and PMFs will be launched in the coming weeks.

The regulation of animal use in scientific procedures, including the collection and publication of statistics, is reserved to the UK Government under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Responsibility for official statistics on animal procedures remains with the Home Office.

While the Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of scientific procedures conducted in Scotland, we continue to assess progress through developments in alternative methods, advances in research practices, and engagement with organisations that promote the 3Rs, such as the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).

The Scottish Government considers that a number of measures within the Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland Sprint 1 Delivery Plan have the potential to support the implementation of the 3Rs framework. These include actions to strengthen Scotland’s research and innovation ecosystem, support the development of new technologies, and foster collaboration between academia, industry and the public sector.

Together, these measures can help create the conditions for the development and uptake of innovative approaches that may reduce reliance on animals in research and testing.

The Scottish Government does not receive routine notifications from the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) regarding investigations, compliance issues or enforcement activity relating to licensed establishments operating under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Any oversight, inspection and enforcement functions under the 1986 Act are the responsibility of ASRU, acting on behalf of the UK Government.

Accordingly, the Scottish Government does not hold information on individual investigations, compliance concerns or enforcement actions undertaken by ASRU.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken a recent assessment, taking account of the current composition of the fishing fleet, of the potential impacts of reallocating access from mobile to static gear in parts of Scotland's inshore Nephrops fisheries on (a) fishing revenue, (b) gross value added, (c) employment or (d) the proportion of fisheries income retained within coastal communities. The reallocation of access from mobile to static gear is not current Scottish Government policy.

The Scottish Government did, however, publish research in 2020 exploring optimisation modelling in the Scottish Nephrops fleet. The research concluded that there was potentially an opportunity for economic gains if access to fishing grounds was redistributed between and within the Nephrops creel and trawl fleets, with potential increases in gross value added and employment.

However, the research also identified a number of important limitations. It did not take account of the costs to businesses of changing fishing patterns, the management and compliance costs associated with any redistribution of access, or wider environmental and social considerations. The research further noted that it was unclear whether the modelled outcomes could be achieved in practice.

The research is available https://www.gov.scot/publications/exploration-optimisation-modelling-scottish-nephrops-fleet-policy-brief/documents/

The Scottish Government has not undertaken a Scotland-wide assessment of which areas of the inshore seabed would benefit most from the exclusion of bottom-towed fishing.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02777 on 15 September 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02777 on 15 September 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers