The Scottish government has launched a far-reaching consultation – set to run for just eight weeks – that could see fishing banned from 20 MPAs that cover a third of Scottish waters.
As a minimum, it seems set to see five MPAs closed entirely to fishing, with 15 others seeing no-fish zones designated within them. The consultation gives only the option of partial or total fishing bans within the MPAs – it does not allow for a ‘neither option’ response.
The government says that a second consultation relating to management and restriction of fishing inside 12nm will follow shortly.
For each of the 20 MPAs, a review of fisheries management options, many drafted over a decade ago during the original designation process, is available. These range from the relatively uncontroversial closure of areas such as some deepwater sea mounts that have rarely, if ever, been fished, to much more controversial areas, such as the Central Fladen MPA.
