Question reference: S4W-26710
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 15 July 2015
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Current status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 August 2015
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the possible increase in the use of static gear because of the restrictions on mobile gear that are likely to be imposed by changes to the current designation of marine protected areas.
Answer
The Scottish Government announced 11 June 2015 management measures to be applied to the 16 sites in the first tranche of Scotland’s network of Marine Protected Areas. The intention is to create a coherent network of protected sites that will both protect vulnerable species and habitats and ensure there is space for fishing to continue – including trawling and dredging. For those designated sites that exclude mobile activity Marine Scotland will undertake careful on-going monitoring to establish if there is any increase in static activity and if there is a potential negative impact shellfish stocks.