Question reference: S6W-16733
- Date lodged: 4 April 2023
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Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 28 April 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with the fishing industry, prior to the opening of the consultation, regarding the introduction of Highly Protected Marine Areas.
Answer
Scottish Ministers remain committed to supporting Scotland’s fishing sector, which plays such a key role in contributing to our economic prosperity - especially in remote, rural and island communities.
Our Regional Inshore Fisheries Group (RIFG) Network is our main vehicle for delivering stakeholder-led fisheries management projects, as well as providing a forum for inshore commercial fishers and offering them a strong voice in matters that affect them.
Prior to the launch of our initial consultation, on 12 December 2022, Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) were discussed at a number of RIFG meetings –
- 7 October 2021 – All Chairs
- 4 November 2021 – All Chairs
- 5 November 2021 – West Coast
- 3 December 2021 – Outer Hebrides
- 13 December 2021 – North & East Coast
- 24 January 2022 – All Chairs
- 9 May 2022 – All Chairs
- 16 May 2022 – Outer Hebrides
- 17 May 2022 – Outer Hebrides
- 12 July 2022 – All Chairs
- 2 August 2022 – All Chairs
- 11 November 2022 – North and East Coast
- 29 November 2022 – West Coast
Officials also had regular ongoing discussions throughout 2022 with both the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) and the Scottish White Fish Producers Association (SWFPA) to hear their views as we developed our proposed approach to HPMAs. Meetings were held on –
- 11 October 2021
- 4 November 2021
- 10 December 2021
- 14 January 2022
- 4 March 2022
- 1 April 2022
- 29 April 2022
- 20 May 2022
- 24 June 2022
- 22 July 2022
- 26 August 2022
- 14 October 2022
- 11 November 2022
- 9 December 2022
Additionally, officials also had discussions specifically regarding HPMAs with the Communities Inshore Fisheries Alliance (CIFA) on 10 March 2022 and the Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation (SCFF) on 29 March 2022.
At the moment, we are at the very early stages of developing HPMAs and are yet to consider where they might be located as part of a separate process. There will be further opportunities for those involved in the fishing industry to have their say on where and how we enhance our marine protection.