Chapter 4: Healthy and Biologically Diverse

1. Proposed site-specific management measures for Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NCMPAs) that informed Option 2 - Proposed Fisheries Management Measures for Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) Management Areas in Scottish Waters Consultation – 2026 

The proposed fisheries management measures have been developed individually for each designation, Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NCMPAs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACS) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) using the best available scientific evidence on the potential impacts of different types of fishing gear on protected features. The development of these measures involved significant engagement with stakeholders, including the fishing industry and environmental organisations. NCMPAs, SACs and SPAs can be collectively referred to as MPAs. The public consultation on proposed fisheries management measures includes 76 inshore MPAs, forming a key part of the collaborative policy development process. 

The following data has been made available: Proposed site-specific management measures for NCMPAs that informed Option 2 - Proposed Fisheries Management Measures for Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) Management Areas in Scottish Waters Consultation - 2026 

NCMPAs are sites within the marine environment, designated under sections 67 and 68 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, aimed at conserving marine biodiversity, protecting vulnerable species, habitats, and geological features. The sites have been designated following MPA selection guidelines and assigned site specific conservation objectives.   

The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 provides for the designation of NCMPAs in Scottish inshore waters.  

These site-specific management measures may differ from site information in the consultation documentation and on the consultation platform. We have amalgamated some proposed overlapping measures into the MPA maps and highlighted where other possible overlapping measures for specific gear types may occur. When looking at sites individually, where there is an overlap for specific gear types, it  would be the highest proposed measure that would apply in the overlapping area. 

1. Proposed site-specific management measures for Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NCMPAs) that informed Option 1 - Proposed Fisheries Management Measures for Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) Management Areas in Scottish Waters Consultation - 2026 

The proposed fisheries management measures have been developed individually for each designation, Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NCMPAs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACS) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) using the best available scientific evidence on the potential impacts of different types of fishinggear on protected features. The development of these measures involved significant engagement with stakeholders, including the fishing industry and environmental organisations. NCMPAs, SACs and SPAs can be collectively referred to as MPAs. The public consultation on proposed fisheries management measures includes 76 inshore MPAs, forming a key part of the collaborative policy development process. 

The following data has been made available: Proposed site-specific management measures for NCMPAs that informed Option 1 - Proposed Fisheries Management Measures for Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) Management Areas in Scottish Waters Consultation - 2026 

NCMPAs are sites within the marine environment, designated under sections 67 and 68 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, aimed at conserving marine biodiversity, protecting vulnerable species, habitats, and geological features. The sites have been designated following MPA selection guidelines and assigned site specific conservation objectives.   

The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 provides for the designation of NCMPAs in Scottish inshore waters.  

These site-specific management measures may differ from site information in the consultation documentation and on the consultation platform. We have amalgamated some proposed overlapping measures into the MPA maps and highlighted where other possible overlapping measures for specific gear types may occur. When looking at sites individually, where there is an overlap for specific gear types, it  would be the highest proposed measure that would apply in the overlapping area. 

GIS files of the extent of areas in the Orkney study region that are predicted to have an unsuitable environment for native oyster restoration based on refined thresholds.

 * unsuitable_depth.grd
A binary raster with 0 representing areas that are potentially suitable depth based on the refined threshold value for that variable, and 1 representing areas that are unsuitable. Cells with a value of NA were not in the extent of the study area or were beyond the extent of the source data. 

* outside_PFOWmodel
A polygon shapefile of the areas that are within the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters study region but not included in the irregular triangle grid of the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters hydrodynamic model and therefore beyond the extent of the available environmental data.

* unsuitable_current
A polygon shapefile of the grid elements of the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters hydrodynamic model that are considered unsuitable for native oyster based on the refined threshold of current speed. 

* unsuitable_temp
A polygon shapefile of the grid elements of the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters hydrodynamic model that are considered unsuitable for native oyster based on the refined threshold of bottom temperature. 

The source of the depth was the lowest astronomical tide across the study region from EMODnet Bathymetry Consortium 2020 - tile D4. The threshold defining unsuitable depth was > 80 m.

The source for the temperature and current is the climatology of Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters hydrodynamic model. 
The Scottish Shelf Re-analysis Model is available under Open Government Licence for public sector information https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/.
Attribution: O'Hara Murray, R., Campbell, L. 2021. Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Climatology 1.02. doi: https://doi.org/10.7489/12041-1

The thresholds defining unsuitable habitat were the 95th percentile current speed over the year > 0.45 m s-1 and maximum temperature < 15 degrees C

GIS files of the extent of areas in the Orkney study region that are predicted to have an unsuitable environment for native oyster restoration based on refined thresholds.

 * unsuitable_depth.grd
A binary raster with 0 representing areas that are potentially suitable depth based on the refined threshold value for that variable, and 1 representing areas that are unsuitable. Cells with a value of NA were not in the extent of the study area or were beyond the extent of the source data. 

* outside_PFOWmodel
A polygon shapefile of the areas that are within the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters study region but not included in the irregular triangle grid of the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters hydrodynamic model and therefore beyond the extent of the available environmental data.

* unsuitable_current
A polygon shapefile of the grid elements of the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters hydrodynamic model that are considered unsuitable for native oyster based on the refined threshold of current speed. 

* unsuitable_temp
A polygon shapefile of the grid elements of the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters hydrodynamic model that are considered unsuitable for native oyster based on the refined threshold of bottom temperature. 

The source of the depth was the lowest astronomical tide across the study region from EMODnet Bathymetry Consortium 2020 - tile D4. The threshold defining unsuitable depth was > 80 m.

The source for the temperature and current is the climatology of Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters hydrodynamic model. 
The Scottish Shelf Re-analysis Model is available under Open Government Licence for public sector information https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/.
Attribution: O'Hara Murray, R., Campbell, L. 2021. Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Climatology 1.02. doi: https://doi.org/10.7489/12041-1