"This could boost the marine fish and shellfish farming industry," said Scotland's Rural Affairs Secretary, Mairi Gougeon.
Photo: Scottish Government.
Aware of the growing interest in the aquaculture sector in developing farms more than 3 nautical miles from the coast, in its programme for 2025 to 2026, the Scottish Government has committed to streamlining the licensing process for offshore aquaculture, and to this end, it has submitted a document for public consultation seeking views on changes to the regulation of fish and shellfish farm deposits.
"Innovations in technology mean that aquaculture sites can now be located further from the shore. These developments have the potential to reduce the environmental impact of marine farming by lessening interactions with wild salmonids and supporting farmed fish health and welfare," Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Mairi Gougeon, explained.
"The Scottish Government proposes a consistent approach to the regulation and consenting of aquaculture development and activity right across the zero to 12 nautical mile zone. This could boost the marine fish and shellfish farming industry, whilst ensuring consistency and robust assessment of development proposals," she continued.
Under the current framework in Scotland, responsibility for regulating environmental deposits from fish farms between zero and 3 nautical miles lies with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), while for farms located between 3 and 12 nautical miles, regulation of these deposits falls to the Scottish Government's Marine Directorate Licensing Operations Team.
The now-open-for-consultation proposed changes suggest that SEPA become the lead authority for environmental deposits from fish farms in the zero to 12 nautical mile zone, with the intention of ensuring a consistent approach to the regulation and consent of aquaculture development and activity across the zone.
In this way, the relevant local planning authorities would be the body responsible for assessing and determining planning applications for fish and shellfish farms to ensure that operations between 3 and 12 nautical miles are properly assessed, authorized, and regulated regarding environmental discharges, consistent with the regulation of such activity between 0 and 3 nautical miles.
Thus, instead of a division of regulatory responsibilities between SEPA and the Scottish Government, as is currently the case with environmental discharges—which include organic waste, medical waste, and sea lice—there would be a single point of control, which would not only improve efficiency by streamlining the process, but also provide consistency in licensing criteria.
In addition, the consultation also seeks to gather opinions on proposals related to amendments to existing provisions on 'exempted activities' from marine licenses, with the intention of reducing regulatory duplication for fish farm and shellfish farm developments.
The Scottish Government reiterated that when legislating on this matter, it must consider the impact of proposed policies, plans, or strategic decisions on equality, diverse social groups and sectors, data protection, and the environment, under a variety of laws and commitments. For this reason, Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs encouraged the public to participate in the online consultation.
"Protecting Scotland's marine environment is crucial and supports marine industries. The benefits to coastal and island communities could be significant and I would particularly encourage these communities to share their views before the consultation ends in December," Mairi Gougeon said.
The 12-week consultation began last week and will run until December 16, 2025. Those interested in participating can do so online by submitting their views via the Scottish Government website.