Protected Sites - Proposed Deep Sea Marine Reserve - West of Scotland

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.