Fisheries Sensitivity Maps

The Fisheries Sensitivity layers have been generated to identify the probability of presence of high abundances of 0-group fish (fish in the first year of their life) in Scottish waters. 13 species are covered by these layers. The work is explained in the Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 5 No 10 report 'Updating Fisheries Sensitivity Maps in British Waters' (see link in 'Data Sources' tab below).

These layers serve as an update of the existing (Coull et al., 1998) fish nursery maps also available on NMPi. The Coull et al., (1998) maps have been used for more than a decade to ensure that appropriate protection is afforded to sensitive areas from disturbance. These maps provided descriptions of spawning - where fish congregate to spawn - and "nursery areas" - areas where aggregations of juvenile fish can be found.

Zoom restricted as the model used to create the 2014 layers was designed for use at a regional level and above.

Date of data: 2014; Coull et al., (1998)