Polygon

This data was prepared for the report 'Coull, K.A., Johnstone, R., and S.I. Rogers. 1998. Fisheries Sensitivity Maps in British Waters' which includes maps of the main spawning and nursery grounds for 14 commercially important species (cod, haddock, whiting, saithe, Norway pout, blue whiting, mackerel, herring, sprat, sandeels, plaice, lemon sole, sole and Norway lobster).

During the late 1990s, a collaborative project between the national fisheries laboratories (Cefas and the then Fisheries Research Services, Aberdeen), the UK Offshore Operator's Association (UKOOA), the Scottish Fishermen's Association (SFF) and the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) produced the Fisheries Sensitivity Maps in British Waters.

The data is available from CEFAS via http://data.cefas.co.uk/#/View/149. This layer displays spawning grounds for Lemon Sole.

Under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, Scottish Ministers were given the power to identify the boundaries of Scottish Marine Regions (SMRs) for the purposes of regional marine planning. The Scottish Marine Regions Order 2015 identifies 11 Scottish Marine Regions and establishes their boundaries. Marine planning will take place at a local level within these regions, where regional marine planning will be delegated to Marine Planning Partnerships (MPPs). The order is available via http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2015/193/contents/made

In August 2018, the Scottish Marine Regions were added to the Scottish Register of Geographic Codes as entity S41.

Polygon outlines indicating bathytmetric data collected by Marine Scotland in support of the offshore renewables industry in Scottish waters.

Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designated under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 or the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. They have to be managed in a way that furthers the conservation objectives. The EU Habitats Directive requires Special Areas of Conservation (and Special Protection Areas) to be managed in a way that prevents deterioration of the qualifying features. This dataset contains boundaries and management measures for inshore MPAs and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) taking effect from March 2016. The dataset contains measures which are subject to Marine Conservation Orders (MCOs), under the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984, or EU regulations (as amended by UK law)