New protection for Scotland’s seas

Sites will protect a range of habitats and species including flameshell beds, feather stars, common skate, ocean quahog, sandeels and black guillemot. One of the sites - the North East Faroe Shetland Channel - is estimated to be the largest Marine Protected Area in the EU. Scotland’s seas are the fourth largest in the EU and support many habitats and species including cold water coral reefs, 22 individual species of whales and dolphins and almost half of the European Union's breeding seabirds. The Marine Protected Area (MPA) network in Scotland’s seas is designed to conserve a selection of marine species and habitats and offer long-term support for the services our seas provide to society. These 30 new sites will contribute to a network to conserve rare or representative species and habitats allowing them to remain healthy and productive as well as to recover more sensitive species and habitats to a more natural condition. The network will be managed to protect the features for which they have been designated. Where possible that management will also allow sustainable use of the sea by marine users including the fishing industry. The new sites are in addition to the existing protected areas, which range from Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for seabirds such as puffins and kittiwakes, Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for features such as bottlenose dolphins, coral reefs and seals, and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which protect a range of coastal habitats and species including seabirds, seals, sea caves and rocky shores. This means that approximately 20 per cent of Scotland’s seas are now in protected areas. Ministers have also announced they are considering 14 new areas to protect sea birds and a further 4 locations to protect basking shark and species of whale and dolphin. These areas have been identified by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) through a programme of research and survey. Ministers will consider this advice in detail and hold another consultation in due course.