Fisheries Management Scotland Committees

Fish Farming Committee

Fisheries Management Scotland established a Fish Farming Committee to inform and coordinate our activities relating to fish farming and to facilitate a consistent approach on interactions issues at a local level. The primary focus of the group will be on salmon farming (marine and freshwater), but farming of any fish species in open net cages will be considered within the remit of the group. 

The Committee will inform and advise the Fisheries Management Scotland Board and staff on all matters relating to fish farming. The committee has no executive function except as delegated by the Fisheries Management Scotland board.

Scottish Fisheries Coordination Centre (SFCC) Management Committee

The SFCC Management Committee is responsible for overseeing the development, management, and strategic direction of the Scottish Fisheries Coordination Centre – now an integral part of Fisheries Management Scotland. It ensures that SFCC activities meet the needs of its membership, provides leadership on training, data coordination and project delivery, and supports the wider objectives of Fisheries Management Scotland. The Committee brings together elected representatives from member organisations alongside key partners from Marine Directorate and SEPA working collectively to guide the effective use of fisheries data and promote best practice in fisheries science and management.

Enforcement Committee

The Fisheries Management Scotland Enforcement Committee helps to inform our strategic policy, training and operational activities relating to fisheries enforcement. We have a number of priorities which are set out in our Enforcement Strategy. These are:

• Working with relevant stakeholders, to ensure the fisheries legislation is fit for purpose, easily understood and enforceable, with penalties which reflect the environmental damage of fish poaching, damage to habitat and disturbance and damage to juvenile and adult fish.
• To promote best practice in fisheries enforcement, including development and sharing of protocols, standardised tools and technology.
• To raise the profile of fish crime, including any associated socio-economic impacts on citizens and recreation. This process will help inform the need for new legislation and improved penalties but will also aim to ensure that fish have greater prominence in a range of discussions, publicity and policy formulation in relation to wildlife crime.
• To co-ordinate and facilitate consistent enforcement related training through a delivery plan and a system of Continuous Professional Development. This includes training needs not only for our own staff network, but other stakeholders including Police Scotland, Crown Office Prosecutor Fiscal Service and Marine Scotland.

Hydro Committee

The Hydro Committee provides a forum for Fisheries Management Scotland members to share expertise and coordinate action on issues relating to hydropower and other water resource management developments. This includes abstraction, flow regulation, fish passage, screening, and mitigation of associated impacts on fish and fisheries.

The Committee supports the development of consistent, evidence-based responses to regulatory consultations and policy development processes. It also helps inform our engagement with regulators, developers, and government on hydropower licensing and catchment-scale water use planning. 

Inshore Fisheries Management Committee 

The Inshore Fisheries Management Committee brings together members with an interest in the sustainable management of inshore fisheries and their interaction with wild salmon and sea trout. The Committee provides a platform to coordinate responses to policy developments, marine spatial planning processes, and fisheries management proposals within the coastal environment.

The Committee supports Fisheries Management Scotland’s engagement with Scottish Government, Marine Scotland, and other stakeholders to ensure that inshore fisheries management reflects the need to protect migratory fish populations and coastal ecosystems. The group also provides strategic input to initiatives such as the development of Inshore Fisheries Groups, the National Marine Plan, and Protected Marine Areas.