Marine Scotland

Marine Scotland is part of the core Scottish Government and was set up to manage Scotland's waters.^[1] It was established on April 1, 2009 and is the lead marine management organisation in Scotland and the champion of Scotland's Seas.

Role, staffing and budget

The body brings together the functions of the Fisheries Research Services, the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency and the Scottish Government's Marine Directorate and has responsibility for marine science, planning, policy development, management and for monitoring compliance.

Its role is to encourage all concerned with the marine environment to work together towards agreed priorities and outcomes: and to ensure complementary approaches so that the impact of marine management activity across Scotland exceeds the sum of its constituent parts.

While many of its activities are focused on marine issues, it also continues to play an important role in the research and management of freshwater fisheries.

Marine Scotland has around 700 staff: most located in Edinburgh and the Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen, with others based at the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory in Pitlochry, in the network of offices around Scotland or operating on board its marine vessels. Marine Scotland has a range of skills and professions including scientists, sea fishery officers, policy, administrative and professional/ technical staff.

Marine Scotland's gross budget for 2010/11 is around £79m, including around £11m for industry support measures. A further £6m has been made available to complete a new Fish Veterinary Aquaria (FVA) in Aberdeen. It also has substantial support assets - including 3 ocean-going protection vessels, 2 research vessels, 2 surveillance aircraft and a satellite monitoring system capable of tracking the movement of individual vessels.

MPV Jura

MPV Minna

Marine Scotland Compliance

Marine Scotland Compliance (formerly the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency) exists so as to monitor and enforce marine and 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.^[2] As of 2013, Marine Scotland has a fleet of three Marine Protection Vessels:^[3]

• MPV Minna (launched 2003, gross tonnage 718)
• MPV Jura (launched 2005, gross tonnage 2181)
• MPV Hirta (launched 2008, gross tonnage 2181)

Marine Scotland also has a fleet of two aircraft for monitoring:^[4]

• Watchdog Alpha. A Reims Cessna F-406 Caravan II.
• Watchdog Bravo. A second Reims Cessna Caravan II F-406.

Marine Scotland Science

Marine Scotland Science (MSS) 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.^[5] MSS operates two 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:^[6]

• MRV Scotia
• MRV Alba na Mara

MSS also have an additional vessel, the MV Temora, which is used for sampling as part of the Long Term Climate Change Monitoring Programme.^[7]

See also

• Fishing in Scotland
• Marine (Scotland) Act 2010
• Marine Management Organisation (of the UK Government)

References

External links

• Marine Scotland
• The fleet of Marine Protection Vessels of Marine Scotland
• Marine and Fisheries in Scotland
• Marine (Scotland) Act 2010
• Marine Scotland Strategic Plan 2010 - 2013
• Marine Scotland Vision