Marine Directorate
Directorate overview
Formed1 April 2009 (2009-04-01)
Preceding agencies
JurisdictionScotland and Scottish waters
HeadquartersVictoria Quay, Leith, Edinburgh
Employees700 (2016)
Annual budget£64.7 million (2019-2020)[1]
Ministers responsible
Directorate executives
  • Roy Brannen (interim)[2], Director-General Net Zero[3]
  • Annabel Turpie, Director of Marine[3]
Parent departmentNet Zero Directorates
WebsiteMarine Directorate

The Scottish Government's Marine Directorate (Scottish Gaelic: Cùisean Mara na h-Alba) is responsible for managing Scotland's seas and freshwater fisheries along with delivery partners NatureScot and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.[4]

From April 2009 until June 2023, the directorate was known as Marine Scotland.

The Marine Directorate provides management and research of devolved responsibilities such as:

History

The Marine Directorate was established on 1 April 2009,[14] merging two executive agencies (Fisheries Research Services and the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency) and the Scottish Government marine and fishery policy divisions.

Staff, assets and budget

The Marine Directorate has around 700 staff, covering a range of professions including scientists, sea fishery officers, sailors, policy, administrative and professional/ technical staff.[15]

Locations and Assets

Ensign of the Marine Scotland patrol fleet
MPV Jura
MPV Minna

Staff are located across Scotland[16] including :

Marine Research Vessels

The Marine Directorate operates two main research vessels which are fitted with a wide range of deployment and recovery facilities for fishing gear and equipment, scientific and environmental sensors, and data gathering systems:[19]

  • MRV Scotia (launched: 1998, length: 68.6 meters, service speed: 13 knots)
  • MRV Alba-Na-Mara (launched: 2008, length: 27 meters, cruise speed: 8 knots)

Additionally, MRV Temora (launched: 1992, length: 10 meters, max speed: 10 knots) is used for sampling as part of the Long Term Climate Change Monitoring Programme.[20]

Marine Protection Vessels

The Marine Directorate operates three Marine Protection Vessels (MPVs):[21]

  • MPV Minna (launched: 2003, length: 42 meters, top speed: 14 knots, tonnage: 718 g.r.t.)
  • MPV Jura (launched: 2005, length: 84 meters, top speed: 18 knots, tonnage: 2,181 g.r.t.)
  • MPV Hirta (launched: 2008, length: 84 meters, top speed: 18 knots, tonnage: 2,181 g.r.t.)

Surveillance Aircraft

The Marine Directorate owns two Reims Cessna F-406 Caravan II aircraft for aerial surveillance, operated by Airtask.[21][22]

UK Fisheries Monitoring Centre

The Marine Directorate operates the UK Fisheries Monitoring Centre (UKFMC), on behalf of the four UK fisheries administrations. The UKFMC acts as the UK single-point-of-contact for manual reporting of ERS, VMS and other EU/national fisheries schemes.[23]

Divisions

Director's Office

Annabel Turpie is Director of the Marine Directorate.[3] The Director's Office provides corporate services such as business management, communications, information quality, data management, statistics, socio-economic and geographic analysis.

Compliance

The Compliance division monitors and enforces marine and sea fishing laws in Scottish waters. It reports as appropriate to the Scottish prosecuting authorities and provides intelligence on fishing activity in the seas around Scotland.[24]

Science

The Marine Directorate's Science division undertakes research and provides scientific and technical advice to the Scottish Government (and the UK and European Union authorities) on a number of marine and fisheries issues including aquaculture and fish health, freshwater fisheries, sea fisheries and the marine ecosystem in Scotland's seas.[25]

Marine Planning & Policy (MPP)

The Marine Directorate's Planning & Policy division covers three main policy areas and the Licensing Operations Team (LOT).

Marine Spatial Planning

The Marine Directorate is involved in marine spatial planning at both at a national and regional level.[26] Scotland's Marine Atlas was published in 2011 [27] as a baseline assessment, with Scotland's first National Marine Plan published in 2015.[28] The information from the Atlas and National Marine Plan is available through maps.marine.gov.scot(NMPi) and marine.gov.scot portals. These portals form part of the Marine Scotland Open Data Network which contributes towards Marine Scotland's INSPIRE and open data obligations[29]

Offshore Marine Renewables

The Scottish Government is developing plans for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy in Scottish waters. The Marine Directorate will explore how offshore wind, wave and tidal energy can contribute to meeting Scotland's target of generating the equivalent of 100% of electricity demand from renewable sources and also seek to maximise the contribution of these technologies to achieving a low-carbon economy.[30]

Marine Conservation

The Marine Directorate follows a strategy for Marine Nature Conservation in Scotland's Seas[31] based on the three pillars of species conservation, site protection, and wider seas policies and measures. Work continues on a Marine Protected Area network with 30 nature conservation MPAs designated in 2014.[32]

Licensing Operations Team (LOT)

The Marine Directorate Licensing Operations team is a central point-of-contact for activities such as depositing or removing objects or substances from the seabed; construction or alteration works, dredging; depositing or using explosives.[33]

Aquaculture and Recreational Fisheries (ARF)

The ARF division handles policy areas covering Aquaculture, Salmon & Recreational Fisheries, Fishery Grants, Post-EU Referendum (Brexit) and the Crown Estate in Scotland.

Sea Fisheries

The Sea Fisheries division handles policy areas covering Access to Sea Fisheries, EU Quota Negotiations and Discards, Inshore Fisheries and Coastal Communities, and International Fisheries and Environmental Interactions.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Scottish Government Budget 2019-20". The Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  2. ↑ "Director General Net Zero". Scottish Government. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Marine Scotland Directorate". Scottish Government. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "Marine Scotland". Scottish Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "Marine licensing: general guidance". Scottish Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "Sea Fisheries". Scottish Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  7. ↑ "Salmon and recreational fisheries". Scottish Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "Marine renewable energy". Scottish Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  9. ↑ "Marine environment". Scottish Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  10. ↑ "Marine Planning". Scottish Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  11. ↑ "Sea Fisheries - Science and Research". Scottish Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  12. ↑ "Salmon and recreational fisheries - Science and Research". Scottish Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  13. ↑ "Marine and fisheries compliance". Scottish Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  14. ↑ Haworth, Jenny (10 February 2009). "New body to manage Scotland's waters". The Scotsman. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  15. ↑ "Marine Scotland Review". Scottish Government. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  16. ↑ "Marine Scotland Offices and Locations". Scottish Government. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 "Marine Scotland contact information". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  18. ↑ "Fishery Offices". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  19. ↑ "Research vessels & technology". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  20. ↑ "MRV Temora" (PDF). The Scottish Government. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  21. 1 2 "Marine and fisheries compliance: fleet and aircraft". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  22. ↑ "Directflight commences trading under the Airtask Group Brand". Airtask. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  23. ↑ "5 Yearly Report on the application of the Control Regulation" (PDF). Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  24. ↑ "Marine and Fisheries - Compliance". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  25. ↑ "Science & Data". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  26. ↑ "Marine Scotland - Marine Planning". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  27. ↑ "Scotland's Marine Atlas". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  28. ↑ "Scotland's National Marine Plan". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  29. ↑ "National Marine Plan Interactive". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  30. ↑ "Offshore Marine Renewables". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  31. ↑ "Marine Scotland Marine Nature Conservation Strategy". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  32. ↑ "Marine Scotland - Marine Protected Areas". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  33. ↑ "Marine Scotland - Licensing Operations Team". The Scottish Government. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
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