1. Scottish Marine Regions
  2. Moray Firth

Moray Firth

Moray Firth SMR

Submitted by AdamCox on Mon, 2021-05-24 17:47
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Pressures from human activities

Priority [1] Pressure (FeAST classification) [2] Main healthy and biologically diverse components affected [3] Main contributing FeAST activity /activities to pressure [4] Associated productive assessments [5]
1 Removal of target species (including lethal)
  • Fishing - Bottom otter trawling and pair trawls (OTB, OTT, PTB, TB, TBN)
  • Fishing - Creeling and potting (FPO)
  • Fishing - Scallop dredging (DRB)
2 Removal of non-target species (including lethal)
  • Fishing - Bottom otter trawling and pair trawls (OTB, OTT, PTB, TB, TBN)
  • Fishing - Creeling and potting (FPO)
  • Fishing - Scallop dredging (DRB)
3 Physical change (to another seabed type)
  • Extraction – Dredging (capital and maintenance)
  • Fishing - Scallop dredging (DRB)
4 Surface/Sub-surface abrasion/penetration
  • Extraction – Dredging (capital and maintenance)
  • Fishing - Bottom otter trawling and pair trawls (OTB, OTT, PTB, TB, TBN)
  • Fishing - Creeling and potting (FPO)
  • Fishing - Scallop dredging (DRB)
5 Underwater noise
  • Extraction – Dredging (capital and maintenance)
  • Fishing – any gear
  • Infrastructure - Coastal (ports, marinas, leisure facilities)
  • Military activities – Sonar use
  • Shipping
  • Tourism & recreation

Footnotes:
• This pressure assessment uses the FeAST classification which includes two abrasion pressures: surface abrasion and sub-surface abrasion. Some expert groups combined these as a single pressure - Surface & sub-surface abrasion - whilst others focussed on using surface abrasion alone, hence there is a slight difference in handling for some regions.
• The ordering of entries in columns 3, 4 and 5 is not in any particular priority. There isn’t a 1:1 relationship between the entries in columns 3 and 4.
• Where aquaculture is identified as a source of noise pressure, this is due to the potential presence of Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADDs) in this retrospective (2014-2018) pressure assessment.
• Column 4, FAO gear type added for clarity to fishing types. The gear type annotated next to the FeAST Activity is the International Standard Statistical Classification of Fishing Gear (ISSCFG). This was originally adopted during the 10th Session of the Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics (CWP) (July 1980).
• Note the possibility of terrestrial influence for litter.

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Moray Firth

The tables in this section reflect the output of the workshop (October 2019) when the pressures from human activities were assessed for the period 2014 to 2018 for the region. The summary text below the tables elaborates on some of the points that were made at the workshop.
This pressure assessment uses the FeAST classification which includes two abrasion pressures: surface abrasion & sub-surface abrasion. Some expert groups combined these as a single pressure "surface & sub-surface abrasion" whilst others focussed on using surface abrasion alone, hence there is a slight difference in handling for some regions.
The ranking of the pressures in terms of impact is a relative exercise within each region, and is not a statement of their absolute impact. Detailed comparison between regions on the basis of these relative pressure assessments is therefore not advisable.

Main pressures identified

Priority [1] Pressure (FeAST classification) [2] Main healthy and biologically diverse components affected [3] Main contributing FeAST activity /activities to pressure [4] Associated productive assessments [5]
1 Removal of target species (including lethal)
  • Fishing - Bottom otter trawling and pair trawls (OTB, OTT, PTB, TB, TBN)
  • Fishing - Creeling and potting (FPO)
  • Fishing - Scallop dredging (DRB)
2 Removal of non-target species (including lethal)
  • Fishing - Bottom otter trawling and pair trawls (OTB, OTT, PTB, TB, TBN)
  • Fishing - Creeling and potting (FPO)
  • Fishing - Scallop dredging (DRB)
3 Physical change (to another seabed type)
  • Extraction – Dredging (capital and maintenance)
  • Fishing - Scallop dredging (DRB)
4 Surface/Sub-surface abrasion/penetration
  • Extraction – Dredging (capital and maintenance)
  • Fishing - Bottom otter trawling and pair trawls (OTB, OTT, PTB, TB, TBN)
  • Fishing - Creeling and potting (FPO)
  • Fishing - Scallop dredging (DRB)
5 Underwater noise
  • Extraction – Dredging (capital and maintenance)
  • Fishing – any gear
  • Infrastructure - Coastal (ports, marinas, leisure facilities)
  • Military activities – Sonar use
  • Shipping
  • Tourism & recreation

Footnotes:
• This pressure assessment uses the FeAST classification which includes two abrasion pressures: surface abrasion and sub-surface abrasion. Some expert groups combined these as a single pressure - Surface & sub-surface abrasion - whilst others focussed on using surface abrasion alone, hence there is a slight difference in handling for some regions.
• The ordering of entries in columns 3, 4 and 5 is not in any particular priority. There isn’t a 1:1 relationship between the entries in columns 3 and 4.
• Where aquaculture is identified as a source of noise pressure, this is due to the potential presence of Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADDs) in this retrospective (2014-2018) pressure assessment.
• Column 4, FAO gear type added for clarity to fishing types. The gear type annotated next to the FeAST Activity is the International Standard Statistical Classification of Fishing Gear (ISSCFG). This was originally adopted during the 10th Session of the Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics (CWP) (July 1980).
• Note the possibility of terrestrial influence for litter.

Moray Firth