In light of the recently published consultation on fisheries management measures in relation to Marine Protected Areas and Priority Marine …

As part of the Sustainability Appraisal, a Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) was undertaken to assess the potential social and economic effects of the proposed fisheries management measures. The assessment was undertaken in line with Scottish Government guidance for undertaking SEIAs for Marine Protected Areas in inshore waters, which was co-developed through stakeholder engagement, and considered both the potential costs and benefits associated with the proposals.Economic impacts on existing fishing activity were quantified where robust evidence was available, including information on fishing effort, vessel activity, landings, employment and Gross Value Added. Potential benefits associated with ecological recovery and wider ecosystem services were also considered within the assessment. However, these benefits were assessed primarily on a qualitative basis due to uncertainty regarding the scale and timing of environmental change, the value of associated ecosystem service improvements, and how fishers may respond to management measures over time.The purpose of the SEIA was to assess the reasonably foreseeable impacts of the proposed management measures on existing activities. It was not designed to model future sectoral transition scenarios or predict the extent to which fishers may switch between different fishing methods. While opportunities for some static gear fisheries may arise where mobile demersal gears are restricted, the scale and nature of any such transition cannot currently be assessed with sufficient certainty to support robust quantitative analysis.