An area which covers more than 160 sites in inshore waters is part of a series of proposals for fisheries management measures for inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas in Scottish waters.
A consultation on the measures is open until 18 January 2027.
There will also be 26 drop in events and 17 which are online.
Click on this link for more information and how to respond to the consultation: Fisheries management measures within Scottish inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas
| Consultation Drop- In Sessions | 2-5pm and 6-9pm | ||
| Western Isles | Stornoway | The Bridge Centre | 29/09/2026 |
| Isle of Scalpay | Scalpay Community Centre | 30/09/2026 | |
| Benbecula | Benbecula Campus | 01/10/2026 | |
| Oban-Barra | Oban | Corran Halls | 06/10/2026 |
| Barra | Castlebay Community Hall | 08/10/2026 | |
| Wick and Orkney | Kirkwall | St Magnus Centre | 13/10/2026 |
| Wick | East Caithness Community Facility | 14/10/2026 | |
| Highland | Mallaig | Mallaig Community Centre | 20/10/2026 |
| Portree | Portree Community Centre | 21/10/2026 | |
| Inverness | Inverness Town Hall | 28/10/2026 | |
| Ullapool | Village Hall | 29/10/2026 | |
| Lochinver | Lochinver Village Hall | 30/10/2026 | |
| North East | Peterhead | Palace Hotel | 10/11/2026 |
| Fraserburgh | Faserburgh District Parish Church | 11/11/2026 | |
| Buckie | Fishermen’s Hall | 12/11/2026 | |
| North West | Tobermory | Aros Hall | 24/11/2026 |
| Tiree | An Talla Community Hall | 26/11/2026 | |
| Shetland | Lerwick | TBC | 02/12/2026 |
| TBC | TBC | 03/12/2026 | |
| South West | Kirkcudbright | Kirkcudbright Community Centre | 07/12/2026 |
| Troon | Riverside Lodge | 08/12/2026 | |
| Campbeltown | Kintyre Community Centre | 09/12/2026 | |
| Tarbert (Loch Fyne) | Templar Arts Hall | 10/12/2026 | |
| South East | Anstruther | Pittenweem Town Hall | 14/12/2026 |
| Eyemouth | The Hippodrome | 16/12/2026 | |
| Edinburgh | Leith Parish Church | 18/12/2026 | |
Online Sessions
| Online Consultation Sessions | ||||
| Session | Type | Date | Time | Registration link |
| 1 | General | 22/09/2026 | 12-1pm | Online Session 1 |
| 2 | General | 24/09/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 2 |
| 3 | General | 28/09/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 3 |
| 4 | General | 05/10/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 4 |
| 5 | General | 15/10/2026 | 10-11am | Online Session 5 |
| 6 | Western Isles | 22/10/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 6 (Western Isles) |
| 7 | Barra | 26/10/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 7 (Barra) |
| 8 | General | 06/11/2026 | 10-11am | Online Session 8 |
| 9 | Highland | 09/11/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 9 (Highland) |
| 10 | Shetland | 17/11/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 10 (Shetland) |
| 11 | General | 25/11/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 11 |
| 12 | North East | 30/11/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 12 (North East) |
| 13 | General | 07/12/2026 | 12-1pm | Online Session 13 |
| 14 | General | 15/12/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 14 |
| 15 | General | 21/12/2026 | 7-8pm | Online Session 15 |
| 16 | General | 11/01/2027 | 7-8pm | Online Session 16 |
| 17 | Young People | TBC | TBC | TBC |
To see any changes to these sessions, go to Consultation on ‘Proposed Fisheries Management Measures in Scottish Inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Proposed Priority Marine Features (PMF) Management Areas, or email Marine_biodiversity@gov.scot
Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands in the Scottish Government Jim Fairlie said:
“Fishing is woven into the identity of so much of Scotland, sustaining families for generations, building local economies, and shaping the rhythm of life in our coastal communities. We know that any change to how our seas are managed touches something deeper than policy: it touches people’s homes, their traditions, and their sense of place.
“However, we also know that marine ecosystems across the world face increasing pressures from climate change, ocean warming and habitat loss – and Scotland is not immune to these challenges. That’s why I am determined to protect our oceans in a way that is fair and ensures they remain a source of prosperity for the nation, and especially for our island and coastal communities.
“Our seas are a shared resource, and protecting them properly means looking after fish stocks, habitats and the long-term future of the very industries that rely on healthy marine environments. Healthy seas are not separate from a healthy fishing industry, they are the foundation of it.
“The development of these proposals has been informed by years of engagement, scientific evidence gathering and discussion with representatives from the fishing industry, environmental organisations, coastal communities, local authorities, and other interested parties, meeting with them over 120 times in the last four years.
“I am extremely grateful to them for their contribution and look forward to continuing to work closely with them throughout the consultation period and beyond to ensure that we achieve an appropriate balance between environmental protection and the social and economic wellbeing of our coastal and island communities.
“Given the scale and complexity of the proposals, covering more than 160 sites and areas across Scotland’s inshore waters, the consultation has been extended beyond the standard duration and will run until January next year and I urge everyone with an interest to take part and help shape the future of our marine environment.”
Weblinks:
- Draft Equality Impact Assessment.
- Links to the layers on National Marine Plan interactive (NMPi): Links to the MPA shapefiles (NCMPAs, SACs and SPAs) will be sent out in an email shortly
- Option 1 – proposed PMF management areas (These can be downloaded from NMPi)
- Option 2 proposed PMF management areas (These can be downloaded from NMPi
