Marine Protected Areas in Scotland

As of December 2020, approximately 37% of Scotland's seas are covered by the Scottish MPA network, which comprises a total of 244 sites.

[4][5] This figure includes four sites designated in December 2020:[6][7] North-east Lewis; Shiant East Bank; Sea of the Hebrides; and the Southern Trench.

Although these areas were not specifically created for nature conservation purposes, they are considered to contribute to the protection of marine biodiversity.

Management measures, such as restrictions on the type of fishing gear that can be used, may be in place for all or part of an MPA and may only apply at certain times of the year.

[68] The aims of this MPA designation are defined as follows: To demonstrate and research the use of an ecosystem approach, which includes the following - a) the environmental monitoring of seabirds and of other mobile marine species; b) the environmental monitoring of the factors which influence the populations of seabirds and of other mobile species; c) the development and implementation of a local sustainable shellfish fishery; d) the development of a research programme into local fisheries which includes research on species composition, size, distribution and temporal and spatial changes in fish stocks;