12. Commercial Fisheries

12.1. Introduction

  1. This chapter of the Array Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report presents the assessment of the likely significant effects (LSE1) (as per the EIA Regulations) on commercial fisheries as a result of the Ossian Array which is the subject of this application (hereafter referred to as “the Array”). Specifically, this chapter considers the potential impacts on commercial fisheries during the construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning phases.
  2. The following technical chapters also inform the assessment presented in this chapter:
  • volume 2, chapter 9: Fish and Shellfish Ecology where effects on the ecology of fish and shellfish, including species of commercial interest, are assessed;
  • volume 2, chapter 13: Shipping and Navigation where effects on the navigational safety aspects of fishing activity are assessed; and
  • volume 2, chapter 18: Socio-Economics where effects on other businesses are assessed.
  1. This chapter summarises information contained within volume 3, appendix 12.1.
  2. This chapter assesses the LSE1 of the Array on commercial fisheries activity, which is understood as fishing activity legally undertaken where the catch is sold for taxable profit.

12.2. Purpose of the Chapter

  1. The Array EIA Report provides the Scottish Ministers, statutory and non-statutory stakeholders with adequate information to determine the LSE1 of the Array on the receiving environment.
  2. The purpose of this commercial fisheries Array EIA Report chapter is to:
  • present the existing environmental baseline established from desk studies, site-specific surveys and consultation with stakeholders;
  • identify any assumptions and limitations encountered in compiling the environmental information;
  • present the environmental impacts on commercial fisheries arising from the Array and reach a conclusion on the LSE1 on commercial fisheries, based on the information gathered and the analysis and assessments undertaken; and
  • highlight any necessary monitoring and/or mitigation measures which are recommended to prevent, reduce or offset the likely significant adverse environmental effects of the Array on commercial fisheries.

12.3. Study Area

  1. The Array is located within the north-west portion of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) Division 4b (Central North Sea) statistical area; within the United Kingdom (UK) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters (which is the area that extends from the UK territorial waters 12 nm boundary out to 200 nm). For the purpose of recording fisheries landings, ICES Division 4b is divided into statistical rectangles which are consistent across all ICES member countries operating in the North Sea (ICES, 1977).
  2. The Array is located primarily within ICES rectangle 42E9, with small overlaps into ICES rectangles 42F0 and 41E9. These three ICES rectangles form the commercial fisheries local study area for the purposes of the EIA ( Figure 12.1   Open ▸ ). In order to understand fishing activity in waters adjacent to the Array, a commercial fisheries regional study area has been defined to include the commercial fisheries local study area together with surrounding ICES rectangles 41E8, 41F0, 42E8, 43E8, 43E9 and 43F0 ( Figure 12.1   Open ▸ ). Analysis of data at the scale of the commercial fisheries regional study area takes into consideration that most commercial fish and shellfish receptor populations are distributed at a wider spatial scale, ensuring that potential implications of displacement of fishing activity can be adequately understood.
  3. To summarise, there are two scales of commercial fisheries study areas (Zones of Influence (ZoIs)) as follows:
  • commercial fisheries local study area: encompassing the Array and ICES Rectangles 42E9, 42F0 and 41E9; and
  • commercial fisheries regional fisheries study area: encompassing the Array and ICES Rectangles 41E8-F0, 42E8-F0, and 43E8-F0.

12.4. Policy and Legislative Context

  1. Volume 1, chapter 2 of the Array EIA Report presents the policy and legislation of relevance to renewable energy infrastructure. Policy specifically in relation to commercial fisheries, is contained in the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (SMP) (Scottish Government, 2020), Scotland’s National Marine Plan (NMP) (Scottish Government, 2015) and the UK Marine Policy Statement (MPS) (HM Government, 2011). Table 12.1   Open ▸ presents a summary of the policy provisions relevant to commercial fisheries. Table 12.2   Open ▸ sets out guidance relevant to commercial fisheries impact assessment.

 

Table 12.1:
Summary of Key Policy Provisions Relevant to Commercial Fisheries

Table 12.1: Summary of Key Policy Provisions Relevant to Commercial Fisheries

 

Table 12.2:
Summary of Key Guidance Provisions Relevant to Commercial Fisheries

Table 12.2: Summary of Key Guidance Provisions Relevant to Commercial Fisheries

Figure 12.1:
Commercial Fisheries Study Areas

Figure 12.1: Commercial Fisheries Study Areas


12.5. Consultation

  1. Table 12.3   Open ▸ presents a summary of the key issues raised during consultation activities undertaken to date specific to commercial fisheries for the Array and in the Array EIA Scoping Opinion (Marine Directorate – Licensing Operations Team (MD-LOT), 2023) along with how these have these have been considered in the development of this commercial fisheries Array EIA Report chapter. Further detail is presented within volume 1, chapter 5.

 

Table 12.3:
Summary of Issues Raised During Consultation and Scoping Opinion Representations Relevant to Commercial Fisheries

Table 12.3: Summary of Issues Raised During Consultation and Scoping Opinion Representations Relevant to Commercial Fisheries

12.6. Methodology to Inform Baseline

  1. Commercial fisheries information and data has been reviewed and analysed to inform this commercial fisheries baseline. In addition, consultation with commercial fisheries industry representatives has been carried out to aid the collection of baseline information.

12.6.1. Desktop Study

  1. Information on commercial fisheries within the commercial fisheries study area was collected through a detailed desktop review of existing studies and datasets which are summarised in Table 12.4   Open ▸ .
  2. Data has been sourced from ICES, the European Union (EU) Data Collection Framework (DCF), the Marine Directorate National Marine Plan interactive (NMPi), the UK Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
  3. Where data sources allow, a five to ten-year trend analysis has been undertaken, using the most recent annual datasets available at the time of writing. The temporal extent of this time period is dependent on each data source analysed, e.g. 2012 to 2016; 2016 to 2020; or 2011 to 2022.
  4. Relevant literature from a number of sources has also been reviewed in the preparation of this report. A full list of references is provided at the end of this report and are cited within the text where appropriate.
  5. The commercial fisheries technical report (volume 3, appendix 12.1) includes full details of the analysis undertaken to develop the commercial fisheries baseline.

 

Table 12.4:
Summary of Key Desktop Reports

Table 12.4: Summary of Key Desktop Reports

 

12.6.2. Site-Specific Surveys

  1. No site-specific surveys have been undertaken to inform the EIA for commercial fisheries. Baseline data sources have been validated via engagement with fisheries stakeholders (see Table 12.3   Open ▸ ) and by the results of site-specific marine traffic surveys that are described in volume 2, chapter 13.
  2. The shipping and navigation EIA chapter (volume 2, chapter 13) analysed 12-months of AIS data for the 2022 period. AIS is only mandatory for fishing vessels of 15 m length and over, and therefore there is potential for fishing vessel activity to be underrepresented within the dataset.
  3. Fishing vessels made up 4% of all vessels recorded on AIS during the 2022 data period. Fishing activity was determined by vessel speed, destination, track behaviour, and navigational status information transmitted via AIS. The shipping and navigation study area covers the Array plus a 10 nm buffer applied around the site boundary. A vessel traffic survey was undertaken over a period of 28 days (14 days in the summer and 14 days in the winter) to characterise the shipping and navigation baseline. Overall, fishing was relatively low in the shipping and navigation study area across the data period with the majority of vessels in transit to/from fishing grounds notably transiting north-west to south-east (see Figure 3.15 of volume 3, appendix 13.1). Only a small proportion of fishing vessels were considered to be involved in likely active fishing activity. These vessels were noted to the south-east extent and the north of the study area, and only engaged in likely activity during the months of May, June, and September.
  4. Based on the AIS data assessment, the presence of fishing vessels can be regarded as seasonal with a greater average of unique vessels per day being recorded across the spring and summer months when compared with winter. On average, one fishing vessel was seen within the shipping and navigation study area every two to three days across the data period. May was the busiest month for fishing vessels with an average of one vessel recorded per day within the study area. February was the quietest month with only three unique vessels being recorded across the whole month, averaging at one vessel every nine days (see volume 2, chapter 13 for further details).