A review of Scotland's shellfish water protected area designations
Overview
This consultation is on the on the proposed designations and de-designations of Shellfish Water Protected Area’s (SWPAs), as part of work to meet a statutory obligation.
SWPAs are designated zones aimed at safeguarding shellfish waters from pollution, ensuring the sustainable development of economically significant shellfish production.
The purpose of the review is to identify areas where it may be appropriate to designate a new SWPA or de-designate (remove) an existing SWPA. The review consists of several steps
It proposes:
- The designation of 14 new sites as SWPAs
- The expansion of 1 existing SWPA
- The de-designation of 29 existing SWPAs due to three continuous years of non-production within the designated area
This consultation seeks input to inform a review of SWPA designations to ensure these designations continue to support the aim of safeguarding shellfish waters and the sustainable development of economically significant shellfish production, without disproportionate costs to other stakeholders.
Read the consultation paper and the Partial Buisness Regulatory Impact Assessment.The consultation papers contains full background information for this consultation. You may find it useful to read or refer to while responding.
The consultation is open until the 29th September 2025 and you are invited to share your views with us using our online survey - please select the 'Give us your views' link below.
Consultation questions preview
The consultation questions are included here for your reference. Please click 'Begin consultation' at the bottom of this page to proceed.
Q1. Do you agree with the proposed designations of new Shellfish Water Protected Areas (SWPAs) and the proposed boundaries (see links)? If not why, and what specific changes to the proposed sites would you suggest?
Q2. Are you aware of additional sites, not included above, that would meet the proposed criteria for designation? Please provide details of the sites and any relevant evidence.
Q3. Do you foresee any benefits from the proposed changes to SWPA? Can you provide evidence to support this?
Q4: Do you foresee any negative impacts from the proposed changes to SWPA? Can you provide evidence to support this?
Q5. Do you agree with the proposed de-designations of the 29 existing SWPAs based on the outlined criteria? If not, please identify which, give a reason, and if possible, provide evidence e.g. of future plans.
Q6. Are you aware of any additional sites that should be considered for de-designation based on the relevant criteria? Please provide any relevant evidence.
Q7. Can you provide evidence of any potential benefits from the proposed de-designation of the existing SWPAs?
Q8. Can you provide evidence of any potential negative impacts from the proposed de-designation of the existing SWPAs, including spat collection for example?
Useful information about responding to this consultation
As you complete your response, each page will provide the option to 'Save and come back later' at the bottom. This means you can save your progress and return to the consultation at any time before it closes. If you don't use this feature and leave the consultation midway through, your response will be lost.
Once you have submitted your response, you can enter your email address to get a pdf copy of your answers sent to you.
On the 'About You' page at the end of this consultation, organisations will have the opportunity to tell us more about their work and/or how their response was informed.
After the consultation has closed there will be a few months delay before any responses are published. This is because we must check any responses to be published abide by our Terms of Use.
An analysis report will usually be published some months after the consultation has closed. This report will summarise the findings based on all responses submitted. It will be published on the Scottish Government website and you may be notified about it if you choose to share your email address with us. You can also join our consulation mailing list where we regularly list newly published analysis reports (as well as new consultations).
Why your views matter
Responses to this consultation will inform decisions on the designation and de-designation of SWPAs and future policy development on Shellfish Protected Areas.
Give us your views
Interests
- Economy
- Environment and Climate Change
- Main hub
- Marine and Fisheries
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