Proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas Option 2 – Inshore MPA and PMF fisheries management measures consultation - 2025

After work began in July 2018 to identify the PMFs most sensitive to bottom contacting mobile fishing gears and the drafting of 2018 illustrative PMF management areas, proposed management areas were required to be developed to be proposed at public consultation aimed to be launched 2025 on inshore fisheries management measures.

The proposed management areas, shown in this dataset, within Scotland’s inshore waters were defined through a collaborative process involving scientific advice and stakeholder engagement led by Marine Directorate. Boundary setting for proposed management areas was guided by ecological evidence, expert input, and feedback from stakeholders.

The following data has been made available: proposed management areas for PMFs outside of the MPA network for Option 2 for the upcoming public consultation.

The PMFs encompassed by the review are Blue mussel beds, Cold water coral reefs, Fan mussel aggregations, Flame shell beds, Horse mussel beds, Maerl beds, Maerl or coarse shell gravel with burrowing sea cucumbers, Native oysters, Northern sea fan and sponge communities, Seagrass beds, Serpulid aggregations.

These data layers are separate to the 2018 illustrative layers which were a starting point for the discussion and development of the PMF management areas to be proposed at consultation. The 2025 proposed PMF management areas have been developed and refined using advice from NatureScot, fishing data, scientific boundary setting principles and stakeholder engagement.