Question reference: S6W-03798
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 18 October 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 October 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to improve engagement and communication between the offshore renewables and fishing sectors, and which fishing organisations are being consulted as part of this.
Answer
The Scottish Government aims to facilitate a constructive relationship between fishers and offshore wind developers in relation to the development of offshore wind energy in Scottish Waters. This is led by Marine Scotland through ‘Commercial Fisheries Working Group’ meetings where the interests of fishers are represented by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), Scottish White Fish Producers Association (SWFPA), Community Inshore Fisheries Alliance (CIFA) and Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (rIFGs).
In addition, the Scottish Government’s sectoral marine planning process for offshore renewable energy, which identifies potential areas for future development, involves fishing representatives being invited to join the relevant governance groups, in order to help inform the location of any resultant development areas. Furthermore, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and regional Inshore Fisheries Groups also facilitate the collection of wider views of the fishing sector to support plan development.