The layers provide information on the intensity of mobile fishing associated with Oil and Gas pipelines and cables. Each layer was created by calculating the total number of fishing tracks in 1 km by 1 km squares along the length of each pipeline for four gear categories (see Rouse et al 2017). Fishing tracks were recreated for UK vessels greater than 15 m in length between 2007-2015 operating mobile demersal gear (otter trawls, pair trawls, beam trawlers and dredges) using vessel position data extracted from the Vessel Monitoring System. The layers can be used to aid the pipeline decommissioning process, including assessing the potential impacts and risks of different decommissioning options to commercial fisheries and informing the frequency of post-decommissioning monitoring according to level of fisheries interaction. The layers can also inform risk modelling for operational pipelines.

High resolution bathymetry data of Rockall and Helen's Reef collected 2011-2012 as part of the ROAME Offshore Fisheries and Conservation (OFFCON) project. Rockall, a tiny island just 19 metres high, sits on the very extremity of Scotland’s marine environment. Some 180 miles due west of St. Kilda, it is buffeted year round by the extreme winds and swell that the North Atlantic weather generates. As such, it is Scotland’s only truly offshore shallow water ecosystem. The islet of Rockall is actually the only part of vast plateau of submerged continent that remains above sea-level.

Measuring fishing effort is important for assessing the environmental sustainability of fish stocks and the socioeconomic efficiency of fishing activity. Fishing effort describes the amount of fishing gear used on a fishing ground over a given unit of time. Effort in this case is defined as number of creels hauled per day per 4 km2. This survey interviewed 198 creel vessel skippers from four regions, two on the west and two on the east coast of Scotland. This analysis has been produced from these SAMPLED vessels only. This IS NOT a census and IS NOT a map of all creeling effort in these waters or in the survey areas. This is an indication of potential fishing effort only and if creeling is not quantified in an area in this map, that DOES NOT mean creeling is not taking place. Equally quantified effort could be higher given some creeling vessels were not surveyed. Fishing effort outside of the surveyed area was not measured.

Salmon Fishery Statistical Region boundaries, used by Scottish Government Marine Scotland for reporting annual statistics obtained from salmon catch returns made by the owners/occupiers/agents of salmon fisheries.(Salmon Fishery Statistical Districts amalgamated into Regions)

Salmon Rivers in Scotland (2008) digital data produced by Scottish Government Marine Scotland Science with information from Fisheries Trusts and other sources.

Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designated under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 or the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. They have to be managed in a way that furthers the conservation objectives. The EU Habitats Directive requires Special Areas of Conservation (and Special Protection Areas) to be managed in a way that prevents deterioration of the qualifying features. The dataset contains boundaries and measures which are subject to Marine Conservation Orders (MCOs), the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984 or the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) The following URL provides a link to further information: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/marine-environment/mpanetwork/MPAMGT/ Proposed measures will be available during consultations

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

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.

This web feature service (WMS) contains those layers held on Marine Scotland's Marine Scotland Maps portal where Marine Scotland are the originator or custodian, but the data is limited to view only (eg licensed IPR from third party). Marine Scotland are a directorate of the Scottish Government.

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)