Supplementary advice to marine directorate on long-lining in relation to Special Protection Area fishing activity advice

Please note - The advice below was produced (January 2024) to assist the development of proposed management measures for fishing activity for MPAs and PMFs (11 most sensitive to bottom contact gear) outwith MPAs. Further considerations were made by Marine Directorate and the final proposed management measures being consulted upon in 2026 are available via Scottish Government’s website.

22 January 2024

Thank you for your request for further advice regarding longlining on 28 November 2023. As discussed, and confirmed in our email of 6 December 2023, our advice with respect to site-based measures is as follows:

Until wider seas management measures can be implemented, we recommend the following site-based measures: 

Reduce or limit pressures (bycatch, reduction of prey) associated with longline fishing is recommended. Fisheries managers should consider a range of actions to reduce the risk of seabird bycatch within the site e.g. mitigation could consider exclusion during the breeding season or other technical mitigation measures. 

We are treating this advice as supplementary to our advice provided in the Conservation and Management Advice (CMA) documents and subsequent SPA fisheries advice, consequently we have not amended the CMA documents themselves.