Chapter 4: Protected Areas

Offshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2025 (the 2025 Order) – Fisheries Management Measures

The Offshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2025 establishes fisheries management measures within Scotland’s offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), covering the offshore region from 12 to 200 nautical miles, with some measures also applying to inshore areas where sites overlap the inshore region.

MPAs are designated under the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. They have to be managed in a way that furthers the conservation objectives. The Conservation of Offshore Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 requires Special Areas of Conservation to be managed in a way that prevents deterioration of the qualifying features.

The dataset contains boundaries and measures which are subject to The Offshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2025.

Restrictions to fishing activity are site specific and may be zonal or apply to full protected areas. These measures apply in addition to any other measures, restrictions or closures in place.

Read more about Fisheries Management Measures in Scottish Offshore MPAs on gov.scot.

 
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are those areas of land and water (to the seaward limits of local authority areas or MLWS) that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) considers to best represent our natural heritage - its diversity of plants, animals and habitats, rocks and landforms, or a combinations of such natural features. This is a Web Mapping Service (WMS) that contains the locations of SSSI's in Scotland.