The Sectoral Marine Plan aims to identify the most sustainable plan options for the future development of commercial-scale offshore wind energy in Scotland, including deep water wind technologies and covers both Scottish inshore and offshore waters (extending out to the Exclusive Economic Zone limit). The Sectoral Marine seeks to contribute to the achievement of Scottish and UK energy and climate change policy objectives and targets, through the provision of a spatial strategy to inform the seabed leasing process for commercial offshore wind energy in Scottish waters, which: - Minimises the potential adverse effects on other marine users, economic sectors and the environment resulting from further commercial-scale offshore wind development; and - Maximises opportunities for economic development, investment and employment in Scotland, by identifying new opportunities for commercial scale offshore wind development, including deeper water wind technologies. The draft Plan Options ("DPO") provide the spatial footprint for this Sectoral Marine Plan.

The 15 Scottish sea areas are based on areas previously adopted for certain environmental monitoring programmes. The data from these 15 areas can be presented regionally and also reasonably aggregated to form a national picture and to develop information for the two main areas required for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive initial assessment: the Greater North Sea (Area II) and the Celtic Seas (Area III) which are existing sea areas used by OSPAR (the Oslo Paris Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic)

The 21 Scottish marine regions and offshore marine regions are used for state of the sea assessments. These areas consolidate the existing statutory Scottish Marine Regions with non-statutory offshore marine regions. For the purposes of assessment, the offshore marine regions extend to the continental shelf limits (adjacent to Scotland)

Regulating and Several Orders are granted by the Scottish Ministers under the terms of the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967 (the 1967 Act), as amended, in respect of the Scottish zone. They are made for the establishment or improvement and for the maintenance and regulation of a shellfish fishery. A Regulating Order confers on its grantee the right to regulate fishing for a named species in a defined area, for a specified limit of time. A Several Order gives its grantee an exclusive right to deposit, propagate, dredge, fish for or take the species named in the Order, in the specified area and for a specified limit of time. An Order may restrict other fishing practices within its area in order to protect the specified shellfish stock. Shapefile includes hyperlinks to individual SSIs.

Nephrops distribution is limited by the extent of suitable muddy sediment in which animals construct burrows. Nephrops are assessed across Europe as individual stocks in 34 functional units (FUs). This data combines the ICES functional units (based on ICES statistical rectangles), combined with the modelled extent of the muddy sediment in Scottish & adjacent waters, derived from sediment and VMS data.

Fisheries which returned coastal fixed engine or net and coble catches of salmon or sea trout to Marine Scotland Science from 2011 onwards. Fishery locations are repeated for each year that the fishery was active, i.e. reported catch data. More information on the Scottish Government salmon and sea trout fishery statistics is provided at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Publications/stats/SalmonSeaTroutCatches

Locations of licensed dredge spoil deposit sites in Scotland, indicated by polygons The spoil is usually as a result of navigational dredging (deepening of navigation channels) on the approaches to ports and harbours. These sites are designated as open (in use), disused (not used for at least 5 years) or closed (not used for at least 10 years or specifically closed).

The Scottish Government is consulting on the creation of a Deep Sea Marine Reserve in the Rockall Trough off the West Coast of Scotland. If taken forward to designation, the site would be underpinned by the powers in the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. This means in legal terms it would have the same status as the other existing Marine Protected Areas in offshore waters. The Rockall Trough, if designated would help meet our international commitments to protect the marine environment in the North-East Atlantic, as required under the OSPAR Convention.

Marine Scotland commissioned SNH to identify locations within inshore waters (6NM limit) where there is a need to consider additional management for bottom contacting mobile fishing gears to ensure there is no significant impact on the national status of 11 PMFs*. A consultation was launched in July 2018 seeking views on the data and evidence sources; the proposed management approach; and reasonable alternatives. The following data has been made available: point data for 10 PMF species and their management status (native oysters are excluded for sensitivity reasons); polygon extents of "areas for management consideration" and "knowledge gaps"; polygon extents of estimated fishing footprint of bottom trawl and scallop dredge for period 2009-2016; illustrative management areas for PMFs outside of the MPA network. *The PMFs encompassed by the review are Blue mussel beds, Cold water coral reefs, Fan mussel aggregations, Flame shell beds, Horse mussel beds, Maerl beds, Maerl or coarse shell gravel with burrowing sea cucumbers, Native oysters, Northern sea fan and sponge communities, Seagrass beds, Serpulid aggregations

Fishing for razor clams (Ensis spp.) within the Scottish zone is prohibited. For a trial period, Marine Scotland will authorise (under Article 43 of EC Regulation No. 850/1998 and article 4(2) of Scottish SI 2017 No. 419) electrofishing for razor clams (Ensis spp.) in certain areas around Scotland for scientific research.