Scotland’s Future Catching Policy: selectivity proposals 2026

Incidental bycatch or entanglement of marine species in fishing gear is a threat to the conservation and welfare of sensitive marine species, including cetaceans, seabirds, seals, turtles and sharks. In the UK, bycatch monitoring programmes estimate that thousands of these animals are accidentally caught each year. Monitoring programmes are predominantly focused on UK-flagged vessels, whereas knowledge of bycatch in international-flagged vessels is limited. Such incidental events not only have a negative impact on the animal concerned, but can cause considerable distress to fishers, as well as significant costs in terms of lost or damaged gear.

The UK administrations have a range of commitments through domestic, and International law to address the incidental catches of sensitive marine species. To meet these obligations, the Scottish Government has historically worked in partnership with the UK Government and the other devolved administrations, as well as independently, to take forward research and monitoring to improve our understanding of bycatch in UK waters and to implement action working in partnership with the sector, to reduce the numbers of sensitive marine species captured incidentally in fisheries.

There is currently a requirement under fishing vessel licence conditions for all fishing vessels operating in UK waters to report any bycatch (incidental mortality or injury) of marine mammals to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) within 48 hours of the end of the fishing trip. The MMO coordinate the collection of this data on behalf all UK adminstrations and publish the reporting form and associated guidance.

Reporting is necessary to comply with international standards for the conservation of marine mammals, and to allow continued export of fisheries products to the United States. Reporting also helps to assist conservation efforts in mitigating marine mammal bycatch. No enforcement action will be taken as a result of reporting where the injury, mortality, or bycatch reported has occurred within the course of legal fishing practices. There is no such requirement to report bycatch of seabirds or other sensitive marine species. As of August 2025, no marine mammal bycatch has been reported in Scottish waters to the Marine Management Organisation.