Claudia Beamish

Answer · Fergus Ewing · 22 Mar 2021

Commercial fishing activity in the Inner Sound of Skye is already heavily regulated and the annual resumption of trawling on the 1 April 2021 will not affect the national status or future development of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) / Priority Marine Feature (PMF) network.
On 10 March 2021, an emergency MPA was designated for a part of the Inner Sound of Skye to protect the critically endangered flapper skate. Interim management measures came into force on 17 March 2021 to provide protection from a range of fishing activities including mobile gear, while further evidence is gathered to inform a permanent protection strategy.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham · 18 Mar 2021

The annual Official Statistics bulletins on Scottish greenhouse gas emissions are based directly on the UK national atmospheric emissions inventory. As set out in the answer to S5W-35983 on 18 March 2021, blue carbon processes are not currently included in the scope of the UK inventory, and the Scottish Government is unable to change the UK inventory. This means that estimates of the emissions and removals associated with such processes cannot be reported in the Official Statistics at either Scottish or UK levels.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Answer · Ben Macpherson · 22 Mar 2021

The biogenic habitats indicator was developed specifically for Scotland’s Marine Assessment (SMA) 2020 and reports losses in subtidal habitat extent only. The assessment covers the following six habitats: blue mussel beds, horse mussel beds, flame shell beds, maerl beds, seagrass beds and serpulid aggregations. All of the habitats are Priority Marine Features (PMFs).
Fifteen examples of biogenic habitats were assessed as part of SMA 2020. Of the 10 examples where declines were recorded, nine are within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and seven of these have fisheries management measures in place to protect these priority marine features. Of the other three, two are in existing MPAs with proposed fisheries management measures being developed and the other is within a proposed management area for PMFs outside the MPA network.
The Scottish Government is in the process of developing fisheries management measures for the 11 most vulnerable PMFs, which include all six biogenic habitats, outside of MPAs. Furthermore, fisheries management measures for MPAs were established for the 17 most sensitive sites in 2016, with the second phase for the next 18 sites under development.
This work was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We intend to resume the project as soon as it is safe to hold face-to-face stakeholder meetings again.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham · 18 Mar 2021

Reporting on Scotland’s statutory emissions reduction targets is based on the UK national atmospheric emissions inventory, which is compiled in line with international guidelines. At present, blue carbon habitats are not included in the scope of the UK inventory. This means that such processes are not currently included in the scope of Scottish, or indeed UK, climate change targets. Saltmarsh and seagrass are currently the only habitats with potential to be added to the inventory according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Wetlands Supplement (2013). Other blue carbon habitats, for example maerl, coral, biogenic reefs and sediment are not included in the Supplement and therefore do not currently have the potential to be included in the inventory or contribute to achieving Scotland’s national climate change targets.
Decisions around changes to the UK inventory are made solely by the UK Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. If a major change to UK inventory scope around blue carbon were to occur in the future, this would then need to be followed by a review of the appropriateness of the statutory target levels from the UK Climate Change Committee, as the current levels are based on an inventory that does not include such processes.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham · 18 Mar 2021

Scottish Government officials have met with DEFRA to discuss the evidence requirements for incorporating saltmarsh and seagrass into the UK inventory. We are working together with members of the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum to gather the required evidence.
Scottish Government (and DEFRA) officials are also represented on the BEIS-led National Inventory Steering Committee, which meets twice a year to consider technical issues around the UK inventory. Once sufficient evidence for the addition of saltmarsh and seagrass has been gathered, it will be presented to the Steering Committee. However, decisions around changes to the inventory are made solely by BEIS officials and Ministers.