Marine Scotland

Annabel Turpie is the Director of Marine Scotland.[15] The Director's Office provides corporate services such as business management, communications, and statistical or socio-economic analysis.

Professor Colin Moffat is the Chief Scientific Advisor Marine.[16] The aim of the Office of the Chief Scientific Advisor Marine (OCSAM) is to foster Scottish, UK and international co-operation in the areas of natural, economic and social marine science and provide clear advice to the Scottish Government and other International Organisations.[17] The OCSAM division also provides support for information quality, data management, statistics, and geographic analysis and support.

Ensign of the Marine Scotland fleet

MPV Jura

MPV Minna

The Compliance division monitors and enforces marine and sea fishing laws in Scottish waters. It reports as appropriate to the Scottish prosecuting authorities and provides intelligence on fishing activity in the seas around Scotland.[18]

Marine Scotland have 18 fishery offices located around Scotland.[19]

Marine Scotland have three Marine Protection Vessels (MPVs):[20]

• MPV Minna (launched: 2003, length: 42 meters, top speed: 14 knots, tonnage: 718 g.r.t.)
• MPV Jura (launched: 2005, length: 84 meters, top speed: 18 knots, tonnage: 2,181 g.r.t.)
• MPV Hirta (launched: 2008, length: 84 meters, top speed: 18 knots, tonnage: 2,181 g.r.t.)

Marine Scotland owns two Reims Cessna F-406 Caravan II aircraft for aerial surveillance, operated by Airtask[21][22]

Marine Scotland operate the UK Fisheries Monitoring Centre (UKFMC), on behalf of the four UK fisheries administrations. The UKFMC acts as the UK single-point-of-contact for manual reporting of ERS, VMS and other EU/national fisheries schemes.[23]

Marine Scotland's Science division undertakes research and provides scientific and technical advice to the Scottish Government (and the UK and European Union authorities) on a number of marine and fisheries issues including aquaculture and fish health, freshwater fisheries, sea fisheries and the marine ecosystem in Scotland's seas.[24] MSS operates two research vessels which are fitted with a wide range of deployment and recovery facilities for fishing gear and equipment, scientific and environmental sensors, and data gathering systems:[25]

• MRV Scotia
• MRV Alba-Na-Mara

MSS also have an additional vessel, the MV Temora, which is used for sampling as part of the Long Term Climate Change Monitoring Programme.[25] Tim McDonnell is the Head of Marine Scotland Science.[26]

Marine Scotland's Planning & Policy division covers three main policy areas and the Licensing Operations Team (LOT).

Marine Scotland are involved in marine spatial planning at both at a national and regional level.[27] Scotland's Marine Atlas was published in 2011 [28] as a baseline assessment, with Scotland's first National Marine Plan published in 2015.[29] The information from the Atlas and National Marine Plan is available through Marine Scotland Maps and Marine Scotland Information portals. These portals form part of the Marine Scotland Open Data Network which contributes towards Marine Scotland's INSPIRE and open data obligations[30]

The Scottish Government is developing plans for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy in Scottish waters. Marine Scotland will explore how offshore wind, wave and tidal energy can contribute to meeting Scotland’s target of generating the equivalent of 100% of electricity demand from renewable sources and also seek to maximise the contribution of these technologies to achieving a low carbon economy.[31]

Marine Scotland follows a strategy for Marine Nature Conservation in Scotland's Seas[32] based on the three pillars of species conservation, site protection, and wider seas policies and measures. Work continues on a Marine Protected Area network with 30 nature conservation MPAs designated in 2014.[33]

The Marine Scotland Licensing Operations team is a central point-of-contact for activities such as depositing or removing objects or substances from the seabed; construction or alteration works, dredging; depositing or using explosives.[34]

The ARF division handles policy areas covering Aquaculture, Salmon & Recreational Fisheries, Fishery Grants, Post-EU Referendum (Brexit) and the Crown Estate in Scotland.

The Sea Fisheries division handles policy areas covering Access to Sea Fisheries, EU Quota Negotiations and Discards, Inshore Fisheries and Coastal Communities, and International Fisheries and Environmental Interactions.