(Photo credit: Rosie Landon)
SIFT works to improve the overarching framework for inshore fisheries management as well as the management of specific fisheries (such as wrasse and squid). We principally undertake this work by calling for a coherent management regime which addresses failings of governance, management measures and enforcement.
New legislation is needed
SIFT has repeatedly called for a wholesale revision of the regulation of inshore fisheries, through the introduction of a new Inshore Fisheries Act. We were pleased that the Scottish Government undertook to introduce such legislation in 2016, however no such legislation has subsequently been taken forward, despite our calls. SIFT continues to believe that it is vital that Scotland’s existing inshore fishery legislation is replaced. New legislation would replace a patchwork of Acts that date back over half a century. This would enable improvements to governance structures and the introduction of modern fisheries management measures. These changes lie fully within the powers of the Scottish Parliament.
New governance arrangements
New legislation must address the shortcomings of current governance arrangements. Scotland’s existing Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups (RIFGs) were established to improve management of inshore fisheries by helping the fishing industry to provide advice to Scottish Government. But the RIFGs are un-constituted, voluntary, and under-funded. So they have no formal rules governing decision-making, and are not able to implement measures which would improve the fishery. The RIFGs also frequently fail to represent the views of all fishing interests, and as a result, the views of creelers and fishermen who are not members of larger fishing associations, can be poorly represented.
So the RIFGs, as they are currently established, form a barrier to transparent or balanced fishery management. This undermines the inshore fishery’s potential. In order to address this issue SIFT is calling for legislation which will require, at the least, that the RIFGs adopt formal constitutions which mandate transparent and fair decision making processes.
Management Measures
SIFT actively engages in consultations, briefings and advocacy relating to improvements to the management of sea fisheries. In 2026, this has included:
Inshore Fisheries Management Improvement (IFMI) Programme
The Scottish Government’s IFMI Programme “presents an opportunity to develop a new framework for agile inshore fisheries management” and “seeks to consider available management mechanisms to improve the sustainability of these fisheries”.
SIFT’s response to the IFMI call for views is available in the resources section on this page.
(Photo credit: Rosie Landon)
Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs)
FMPs are ‘action plans’ aimed at securing the long-term sustainability of different fisheries. Currently, these plans are in the process of being produced for UK fish stocks, and the Scottish Government is leading on 21 separate FMPs. SIFT has participated in a number of working groups contributing to their development – and has responded to consultations and calls for views on draft plans.
FMPs represent a valuable opportunity to set out actions which are specific to each stock, to bring about improvements in their management. To achieve this SIFT supports FMPs that:
- explicitly set out how actions are in line with the objectives in the Fisheries Act (2020) and how they will contribute to Good Environmental Status (GES);
- have SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) policies to guarantee effective implementation and monitor progress;
- take into account the impacts of climate change, and provide an adaptive management regime that can cope with a changing ocean.
SIFT’s response to the 2026 consultation on Demersal FMPs is available in the resources section of this page.
Enforcing Fisheries Law
Effective fisheries management requires both the adoption of management measures and their subsequent enforcement. By being visible and targeted, enforcement provides a clear incentive for those involved in the fishing industry to comply with the applicable regulations, and offers a means for fisheries authorities to demonstrate stewardship over fish stocks and ecosystems.
In comparison to other European countries, Scotland has less dissuasive fisheries sanctions and greater levels of re-offending. Accordingly, SIFT considers that urgent action is needed to improve the enforcement regime in Scottish inshore fisheries. SIFT has published a commissioned study on this issue Fisheries Enforcement in Scotland .
SIFT regularly briefs Members of the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee, and other Members with an interest in marine issues on this issue. We advised on the drafting of legislation on this issue, most recently in the Natural Environment Act 2026, and are pleased that under an amendment to that Act the Scottish Government is now bound to report on the effectiveness of relevant penalties in ensuring compliance with the sea fisheries legislation by 2028.
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Priority Marine Features (PMFs)
Scotland’s MPA network was first designated in 2014, representing a major step towards halting the unsustainable exploitation of the marine environment and recovering ecosystems. But since that designation, inshore MPAs have remained without real protection from destructive human activities. Alongside MPAs, the Scottish Government designated “a prioritised list of habitats and species of conservation importance” known as PMFs. There are 81 in total, although 11 have been identified as being particularly sensitive to damage by bottom-towed fishing gears.
Originally, the Scottish Government aimed to implement fisheries management measures for the MPA network by 2016, but after 10 years of delay, the consultation on MPA and PMF management was further postponed in 2025.
What does this mean for Scotland’s inshore?
Until the Scottish Government implement fisheries management measures for MPAs and PMFs, the area of Scotland’s inshore waters where all commercial fishing is currently restricted remains only 66km2 – or 0.07% – visualised in green in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1: the proportion of Scotland’s inshore where all commercial fishing is prohibited (green).
A whole site, ecosystem system based approach is needed if MPAs are to be effective and fish stocks are allowed to restore. This could take the form of a combination of no-take-zones, zones with preferential access for low impact fisheries, and zones where mobile gear fisheries are permitted.
SIFT’s Regulating Order
Following our establishment in 2011, SIFT’s first major project aimed to establish a new fishery management regime for the Firth of Clyde so that the Firth could again support an environmentally and economically sustainable mixed fishery. The vision was that the Clyde fisheries would be run by a mix of local stakeholders and aimed to restrict the range of the more damaging forms of fishing, by creating separate zones for different fishing methods.
We proposed a new management regime for the Clyde (SIFT Clyde regulating order application – 2015) which was submitted to the Scottish Government in 2015. This was not approved by the Scottish Government but we continue to actively promote sustainable fisheries in the Firth of Clyde, through our membership of a range of multi-stakeholder forums.
Our proposals formed an application for a Regulating Order, which is a piece of legislation granted by Scottish Ministers under the terms of the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967. Regulating Orders are intended to improve the management of a natural shellfishery by granting fishing rights to a successful applicant.
Our proposals were subject to a consultation by Marine Scotland in early 2016. The consultation generated considerable support from a very wide range of stakeholders. There were also objections, overwhelmingly from the mobile gear (trawl and dredge) fishery and its associates.
Disappointingly, the Scottish Government did not approve SIFT’s proposals, stating that it would ‘add complexity’ to the management of the Firth, that the Marine Protected Areas recently introduced to the Firth needed to be assessed before other management measures could be introduced and that there was low support for the proposal from elements of the commercial fishery sector. SIFT disputed these Ministerial arguments, and argued that management complexity only arose because the Scottish Government has failed to introduce Vessel Monitoring technology (which is widely used by other maritime nations), that Marine Protected Areas are for conservation purposes and are not related to fishery management, and that the only opponents to SIFT’s proposals were the trawl and dredge fishermen who are the primary cause of the damage SIFT’s proposals sought to address.
The way forward
SIFT will continue to advocate for new inshore fisheries legislation, and for a more effective enforcement regime and for improved governance mechanisms, in order that Scottish inshore fisheries can become more sustainable and thrive in the years ahead.
