Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency
Encyclopedia
The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA) was an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. The SFPA is responsible for both deterring illegal fishing in Scottish waters, as well as monitoring the compliance of the fisheries industry in Scotland
Fishing industry in Scotland
The fishing industry in Scotland comprises a significant proportion of the United Kingdom fishing industry. A recent inquiry by the Royal Society of Edinburgh found fishing to be of much greater social, economic and cultural importance to Scotland than to the rest of the UK. Scotland has just...
with the relevant Scottish
Scots law
Scots law is the legal system of Scotland. It is considered a hybrid or mixed legal system as it traces its roots to a number of different historical sources. With English law and Northern Irish law it forms the legal system of the United Kingdom; it shares with the two other systems some...
and European Union laws on fisheries. The Agency has 18 Fishery Offices, a fleet of 4 Fishery Protection Vessels, and 2 aircraft for the purposes of monitoring and enforcement in the waters around Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The letters "SF" appearing in the Agency's ensign relate to the words "Sea Fisheries" as the agency is part of the UK Sea Fisheries Inspectorate (SFI).
On April 1, 2009, the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency and Fisheries Research Services
Fisheries Research Services
Fisheries Research Services was an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. FRS was responsible for scientific and technical research into the marine and freshwater fisheries and aquaculture, and the protection of the aquatic environment in Scotland. For these purposes, the agency had two...
were merged with and the Scottish Government Marine Directorate to form Marine Scotland
Marine Scotland
Marine Scotland is part of the core Scottish Government and was set up to manage Scotland's waters. It was established on April 1, 2009 and is the lead marine management organisation in Scotland and the champion of Scotland's Seas....
, part of the core Scottish Government. The SFPA is now known as Marine Scotland Compliance and the Fisheries Research Services are known as Marine Scotland Science.
History
The British Parliament has legislated for the protection and control of fisheries in the waters around the United Kingdom since the early 19th century. In the early 19th century the Commissioners of the British White Herring Fishery were appointed, who had the power to detail naval vessels to superintend the herringHerring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
fisheries; officers of the fishery were appointed with particular emphasis on the certification of cured herring for export and for making the necessary brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
on the barrel. Experience as a cooper
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
- a maker of barrels - remained a qualification for Fishery Officers until as recently as 1939.
In 1882, the Fishery Board for Scotland was established for the purposes of protecting sea fisheries in the waters around Scotland and land-based inspection of landed catches. By 1909, the Board's fleet included 5 steam vessels; at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the fleet had been increased to 8 vessels which included 2 small motor boats. The Board's responsibilities were transferred to the Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
in 1939.
In April 1991 the Secretary of State for Scotland established the fisheries protection and enforcement services as an executive agency as part of the Government’s Next Steps Initiative, which sought to devolve specific activities from central Government to free-standing organisations, headed by Chief Executives accountable to Ministers. Hence, the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency was established as an executive agency
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
of the Scottish Office
Scottish Office
The Scottish Office was a department of the United Kingdom Government from 1885 until 1999, exercising a wide range of government functions in relation to Scotland under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland...
with the resources of 230 staff, 20 coastal offices, 6 protection vessels and 2 surveillance aircraft. Following devolution
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
in Scotland, the agency transferred to the control of the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD).
In 2007, the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(SNP) changed the structure of the Scottish Executive (now known as the Scottish Government), and the SFPA became associated with the Director-General of the Environment.
Responsibilities
Marine Scotland Compliance is responsible for monitoring compliance and taking enforcement action, where necessary, to deter and detect illegitimate activities in the marine environment.By using surveillance vessels, aircraft and the network of local fishery offices and people, Marine Scotland Compliance has an important role to work with others.
As the range of these responsibilities develops under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, better monitoring, enforcement and capabilities will be developed in partnership with other marine management functions, including the development of existing and new technology.
Work will also continue on the important priority of fisheries compliance activity to protect important fish stocks and relationships with the UK Marine Management Organisation and others will continue to help ensure cohesive and complementary approaches are taken across administrative, geographical and responsibility boundaries.
Marine Scotland Compliance Headquarters
The Headquarters of Marine Scotland Compliance is located in Victoria Quay, Edinburgh. It houses the supporting arms of the Agency including Finance, Corporate Affairs, Human Resources, Training, Pay, Procurement and Health & Safety as well as the Prosecution & Enforcement Policy branch and the Marine Monitoring Centre (previously known as the HQ Operations).Marine Monitoring Centre & UKFCC
The Marine Monitoring Centre is responsible for tasking Marine Scotland Compliance assets, primarily FPVs and surveillance aircraft, to address its key priorities, which are determined using risk-based analysis. The Marine Monitoring Centre also acts as part of the UK Fisheries Monitoring Centre, maintaining and monitoring the VMS satellite trackingVessel monitoring system
Vessel monitoring systems are used in commercial fishing to allow environmental and fisheries regulatory organizations to monitor, minimally, the position, time at a position, and course and speed of fishing vessels. They are a key part of monitoring control and surveillance programs at the...
system of all fishing vessels in Scottish waters and Scottish fishing vessels globally. The MMC is manned between 0700-2200 Monday to Friday and 0800-1100 on weekends.
Since 1 June 2005, the UK Fisheries Call Centre (UKFCC), based within the MMC, has been the single point of contact for all notification or reporting requirements from fishing vessels in UK waters, working of behalf of Marine Scotland Compliance, the Marine Fisheries Agency of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
(MFA), and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
(DARNDI).
The MMC & UKFCC have approximately 13 staff.
Staff
Marine Scotland Compliance employs 285 staff, in the following areas:Marine Surveillance - 134
Coastal Inspection - 124
Headquarters - 27
Although Marine Scotland Compliance owns two surveillance aircraft, the air crews are provided by a private Company on a contract basis.
All staff employed directly by the Marine Scotland Compliance are Civil Servants and are subject to Civil Service terms and conditions of employment.
Coastal Inspection
The Marine staff are responsible for crewing the four Marine Protection Vessels, with each Vessel having two crews who operate on the basis of 3 weeks on duty followed by 3 weeks off duty. Further details of the Vessels and their crewing arrangements can be found in the 'Ships' page of this section of the website.Coastal Inspection
The Coastal Inspection staff, who make up the Sea Fisheries Inspectorate, are split into two Areas - North / East and South / West - the split of Fishery Offices in each area is provided below:
|
Kirkwall Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty... Lerwick Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland... Kinlochbervie Kinlochbervie is a harbour village in the north west of Sutherland, in the Highland region of Scotland. In 2001 the population was 480.The majority of local industry is based upon the fishing industry... Lochinver Lochinver is a village on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. A few miles northeast is Loch Assynt which is the source of the River Inver which flows into Loch Inver at the village. There are 200 or so lochans in the area which makes the place very popular with... Ullapool Ullapool is a small town of around 1,300 inhabitants in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest settlement for many miles around, and is a major tourist destination of Scotland. The North Atlantic Drift passes by Ullapool, bringing moderate temperatures... |
Portree Portree is the largest town on Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is the location for the only secondary school on the Island, Portree High school. Public transport services are limited to buses.... Mallaig Mallaig ; is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line , completed in 1901, and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".The village of Mallaig... Oban Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban... Campbeltown Campbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Originally known as Kinlochkilkerran , it was renamed in the 17th century as Campbell's Town after Archibald Campbell was granted the site in 1667... Ayr Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205... |
The main tasks for the Coastal SFI is to ensure the integrity of the Quota Management System and the enforcement of regulations on effort limitation, stock recovery programmes, VMS and the Registration of Buyers and Sellers act. This is accomplished by:
- Inspections of catches in ports on board vessels, in fish markets and on landing for direct sale.
- Weighing of whitefish catches as required by EU legislation, with catches sample weighed at the point of landing, on fish markets and at merchants’ premises.
- Enforcing the timeous submission of logsheets and landing declarations in compliance with the EU and UK legislation and in the submission of salesnotes and buyers notes, in compliance with the legislation on the registration of sellers and buyers of sea fish.
- Ensuring catches are accurately recorded against quota and that buyers and sellers are complying with the regulations.
- Carrying out post landing investigations in cases where there is reason to suspect that catches were not accurately declared at the time of landing and sale.
- Carrying out audit checks on registered buyers under protocols with the Marine Directorate.
- Enforcing pelagic fisheries regulations by means of tank-dipping prior to landing, or verifying the weights of catches as they are landed through the approved and certified weighing systems.
Marine SFI
The Marine Sea Fisheries Inspectorate (SFI) consists of a fleet of 4 Fishery Protection Vessels (FPVs) in service as of 2008. A fleet renewal programme to replace the aging Sulisker type began in 2003 with the delivery of the first Minna type, followed by the Jura type in 2005. It was intended to upgrade the fleet to 3 Jura type vessels and 2 Minna type vessels, however the renewal programme is under review by the Scottish Government.Scottish FPVs are not military ships and are not armed. They use the prefix FPV, and fly the SFPA's ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
. Scottish FPVs are responsible for the inspection of fishing vessels at sea in Scottish waters and Scottish vessels in the waters of other member states. The high profile of the fleet at sea acts as a deterrent against illegal fishing and is pivotal to the information informing the Real Time Closure (RTC) scheme. FPVs also contribute towards the UK's commitment to NEAFC, with annual patrols in the NEAFC area west of Rockall
Rockall
Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....
.
Historically, additional Fishery Protection Vessels were provided by the Fishery Protection Squadron of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
which was previously based at Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
. In 1994, the Agency determined that this assistance was no longer required and the Fishery Protection Squadron was moved to Portsmouth as part of the Strategic Defence Review
Strategic Defence Review
The Strategic Defence Review was a British policy document produced by the Labour Government that came to power in 1997. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of the new government, with a series of key decisions designed to enhance the United...
(SDR). Since that time, all Fishery Protection operations in Scottish waters (with the exception of joint exercises) have been conducted by SFPA vessels.
The Marine SFI has approximately 133 staff and had projected running costs of £9,421,000 for 2008-2009
Jura Type
The Jura type are offshore patrol vessels with a displacementDisplacement (fluid)
In fluid mechanics, displacement occurs when an object is immersed in a fluid, pushing it out of the way and taking its place. The volume of the fluid displaced can then be measured, as in the illustration, and from this the volume of the immersed object can be deduced .An object that sinks...
of 2,200 tonnes. These vessels can stay on effective patrol for up to 30 days although the normal patrol length remains at 21 days. The first vessel of the type, FPV Jura, was constructed by Ferguson Shipbuilders
Ferguson Shipbuilders
Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...
of Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16617 persons...
, joining the fleet in March 2006.
In the tendering for the next two Jura type vessels to be built, the Scottish Executive awarded the contract to a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
shipbuilder rather than Fergusons, sparking strong criticism from the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
. FPV Hirta, was constructed in Remontowa
Remontowa
Remontowa is a shipyard in the Polish city of Gdańsk. The yard specialises in ship repair and conversions. Remontowa S.A...
Shipyard, Poland, and launched on 17 August 2007. The vessel joined the fleet in May 2008.
Minna Type
The Minna type are inshore/offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of 781 tonnes and a maximum speed of 14 knots. Vessels of this type can also spend up to 21 days on patrol. Currently there is only one vessel of this type, FPV Minna which was launched in 2003.In May 2006, the vessel replacement programme was delayed, when the SFPA was forced to suspend the tender process for a second Minna type vessel after it was found that the process was in breach of EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
procurement rules..
A subsequent tender exercise using consultancy resources rather than Scottish Executive personnel to carry out the procurement activities commenced in early 2007, but was postponed following the May 2007 Scottish Elections and the rise to power of the Scottish National Party.
The current Minna is the third FPV to bear the name (named after a character in Sir Walter Scott's novel The Pirate). Previous vessels of this name served between 1901–1939 and 1939-1974.
Sulisker Type
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
. FPV Vigilant, launched in 1982, was decommissioned in Spring 2008.
Historical Types
The last of the IslandIsland class patrol vessel
The Island-class patrol vessel was first designed and built for the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. As a result of the Royal Navy's experiences in the so-called Cod War with Iceland, and the success of FPV Jura in fishery protection patrols, the Navy built a further seven...
type, FPV Westra was launched in 1975 and decommissioned in 2003. The vessel was purchased by Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a non-profit, marine conservation organization based in Friday Harbor, Washington in the United States. The group uses direct action tactics to protect sealife...
in 2005 and was renamed MY Robert Hunter in memory of one of the two founding members of Greenpeace. The vessel has since been renamed MY Steve Irwin after the death of the famous conservationist tv personality. The Steve Irwin has become a popularly recognized ship due to the Animal Planet television programme Whale Wars
Whale Wars
Whale Wars is a weekly American documentary-style reality television series that premiered on November 7, 2008 on the Animal Planet cable channel. The program follows Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, as he and his crew aboard their various vessels harass Japanese...
which documents the work of Sea Shepherd including their use of the vessel. The Island type were offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of 1,017 tonnes and a maximum speed of 16.5 knots. In contrast to the more modern vessel types, the Island type could only remain on patrol for 16–18 days.
Aerial Surveillance
The SFPA also have two surveillance aircraft, both Reims Vigilant F-406, based at Inverness AirportInverness Airport
Inverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited...
. The aircraft are operated by Directflight under contract.
The main tasks of the aerial surveillance aircraft are to:
- Validate the UK VMS system
- Monitor the activities of fishing vessels not equipped with VMS (less than 15m length)
- Patrol the increasing number of sea areas closed to fishing operations either to protect fish stocks or the habitats contained within an area.
- Monitor fishing activities in the international waters adjacent to UK fishery limits and under the control of NEAFC, particular to detect and deter IUU fishing.
The aircraft were recently out of service for 6 weeks due to "documentation issues"
External links
- Marine ScotlandMarine ScotlandMarine Scotland is part of the core Scottish Government and was set up to manage Scotland's waters. It was established on April 1, 2009 and is the lead marine management organisation in Scotland and the champion of Scotland's Seas....
- Marine Scotland Compliance
- SFPA homepage