Commercial fisheries Table of Contents 14 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES 14-1 14.1 Introduction 14-1 14.2 Legislative context and relevant guidance 14-2 14.3 Scoping and consultation 14-2 14.4 Baseline description 14-3 14.4.1 Introduction 14-3 14.4.2 Data gaps and uncertainties 14-3 14.4.3 Fishing activity overview 14-4 14.4.4 Description of individual fisheries 14-9 14.4.5 Key ports and vessel numbers 14-23 14.4.6 Salmon and sea trout fishery 14-23 14.4.7 Aquaculture 14-25 14.5 Impact assessment 14-25 14.5.1 Overview 14-25 14.5.2 Assessment criteria 14-25 14.5.3 Design Envelope 14-26 14.5.4 Data gaps and uncertainties 14-27 14.6 Impacts during construction and installation 14-27 14.6.1 Loss of access to fishing grounds 14-27 14.7 Impacts during operation and maintenance 14-29 14.7.1 Loss of access to fishing grounds 14-29 14.8 Potential variances in environmental impacts (based on Design Envelope) 14-29 14.9 Cumulative and in-combination impacts 14-29 14.9.1 Potential cumulative and in-combination impacts during construction and installation 14-30 14.9.2 Potential cumulative and in-combination impacts during operation and maintenance 14-30 14.9.3 Mitigation requirements for potential cumulative and in-combination impacts 14-30 14.10 Long term initiatives 14-30 14.11 References 14-30 Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Project – Environmental Statement Assignment Number: A100142-S35 Document Number: A-100142-S35-EIAS-001-008 iii 14 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES A desk based review of available data was undertaken supported by consultation with fishermen. Low level demersal fisheries targeting haddock, Nephrops and squid are dominant in the turbine deployment area. There is also a low level of pelagic activity in the turbine deployment area (pelagic activity is greater in the export cable corridor). Scallop dredging is the fishery of highest economic value in the export cable corridor. Creels targeting crab and lobster and hand lining for mackerel are also present in the export cable corridor, particularly to the west of the 1°40’ longitude line and fishing intensity increases closer to the shore. Vessels fishing this inshore area operate out of local ports. During construction and installation, safety zones will prevent all vessels, including fishing vessels entering within 500 m of construction works both in the turbine deployment area and along the cable route. These areas are only small and only present for a number of weeks, therefore impacts on fisheries will not be significant. HSL will follow FLOWW guidelines and continue to use the already appointed Fisheries Liaison Officer (FLO) during the construction period to minimise impacts on fisheries during this period. Following installation, fishing activities will be able to resume along the cable route. However, in the turbine deployment area, there will be a period of up to 18 months after installation of the anchors and mooring systems before the WTG Units will be installed. During this period and the subsequent 20 year operational phase of the Project fisheries may be restricted from the turbine deployment area. However, due to the limited amount of fishing that takes place in the turbine deployment area and availability of suitable fishing areas in the surrounding waters, impacts on fisheries will not be significant. Further liaison with Regulators and stakeholders is planned to ensure the appropriate mitigation is effectively implemented. In particular, the plans for safety zones and/or fishing prohibition, either compulsory or advisory, will need to be agreed with DECC, the MCA and Marine Scotland pre-construction. Although the impacts from the Hywind Scotland Project are not predicted to be significant, in order to mitigate this challenge for new and larger floating wind farms in the future, Statoil is in the process of establishing a project with the objective to look at what activities can be carried out within a floating wind farm and how the area can be used positively in a biological and commercial manner. 14.1 Introduction This chapter assesses the impacts of the Project on commercial fisheries. To quantify spatial and temporal variation, commercial fisheries are described both at the local level and at the wider regional (North Sea) level in order to provide context to the baseline. The assessment has been undertaken by Xodus. Table 14-1 shows the supporting study which relates to the commercial fisheries impact assessment. Supporting studies are provided on the accompanying CD. Table 14-1 Supporting studies Details of study Navigation Risk Assessment Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Project (Anatec, 2014) To gain a better overall understanding of the baseline and potential impacts associated with commercial fisheries; consideration should also be given to the following Environmental Statement (ES) chapters: > Fish and shellfish ecology (Chapter 10); and > Shipping and navigation (Chapter 15). The focus of the impact assessment is potential impacts on commercial fisheries using the Project area. This requires an understanding of the fishing activities that take place in and in the waters adjacent to the Project area so that potential impacts can be out into wider regional context. The following areas are referred to in this impact assessment: Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Project – Environmental Statement Assignment Number: A100142-S35 Document Number: A-100142-S35-EIAS-001-008 14-1 > Project area (see Figure 1-2 in the introduction), which comprises: o Proposed offshore turbine deployment area: and o Export cable corridor and landfall. 14.2 Legislative context and relevant guidance There is no specific legislation which covers the scope of impact assessment on fisheries. However, guidance on licensing and environmental impact assessment (EIA) requirements for offshore wind farms (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), 2004) provides a ‘roadmap’ on how to assess impacts to fisheries from offshore wind farms. In addition the recently published guidelines by the Crown Estate (TCE) regarding best practice for fisheries liaison regarding offshore renewables developments are relevant to the Project (FLOWW, 2014). 14.3 Scoping and consultation The bullets below summarise the key issues raised in the Scoping Opinion relevant to the commercial fisheries impact assessment: > Potential impacts on commercial fisheries must be considered given the importance of, and dependency on, fishing in the local area and the role that Peterhead port plays in the fishing sector; > The main impacts to be considered from a commercial fisheries perspective will be for the export cable route affecting the inshore static gear fleet, also any vessels using mobile gear. For the turbine deployment area, the presence of cables and anchor chains will exclude any demersal or pelagic fishing within the area; and > There may be disruption to fishermen in the inshore area from vessel traffic associated with the construction of the site and cable route. This could be mitigated against through the agreement of a transit corridor for construction and maintenance vessels. The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) have been consulted from early in the EIA process (see below) and are supportive of the Project. Table 14-2 summarises all consultation activities carried out relevant to commercial fisheries. Table 14-2 Consultation activities undertaken in relation to commercial fisheries Date Stakeholder Consultation May 2013 Scottish Fishermen’s Project update including dimensions and spacing between turbines and Federation anchors. May 2013 Marine Scotland (MS- Pre-scoping meeting including discussion on proposed scope of commercial LOT and Marine Scotland fisheries impact assessment. Science) and statutory consultees July 2013 Scottish Fishermen’s Methodology and approach to the geophysical survey with reference to Federation (SFF) potential limitations in fishing activity. Ongoing SFF Discussion of geophysical survey area, approach to survey of areas close to shore, discussion related to locations of current measurement buoys and discussions related to location of WTG Units October 2013 Marine Scotland, Submission of EIA Scoping Report – request for EIA Scoping Opinion from statutory consultees and Marine Scotland and statutory consultees and request for comment from non- non- statutory consultees statutory consultees. March 2014 Marine Scotland, Receipt of Scoping Opinion. statutory consultees and non- statutory consultees Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Project – Environmental Statement Assignment Number: A100142-S35 Document Number: A-100142-S35-EIAS-001-008 14-2 Date Stakeholder Consultation May 2014 Local stakeholders Public event in Peterhead to collate information / opinions on EIA scope. June 2014 Various stakeholders Risk workshop to inform navigation risk assessment. 14.4 Baseline description 14.4.1 Introduction The fisheries baseline description is based upon a comprehensive desk-based study supported by consultation. Data sources used to determine the commercial fisheries baseline are detailed in Table 14-3. Table 14-3 Summary of relevant data sources Date of Survey/study survey/study Description MMO landings values (£) 2008 - 2012 Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) datasets for UK vessels > 15 m were and effort (time fished) provided in GIS format. This included details at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Statistical Sub-Rectangle level. Marine Scotland landings 2008 - 2012 Landings and effort data for UK vessels landing from ICES Rectangle 43E8 value (£) and liveweight and 44E8 for the period 2008 – 2012 were provided in spreadsheet format (tonnes) by Marine Scotland. This data included details on effort by month, vessel size and gear type which the above source (better resolution data) did not show Marine Scotland vessel 2008 - 2012 Active vessel numbers for UK vessels landing from ICES Rectangle 43E8 landing data and 44E8 for the period 2008 – 2012. This data included vessel numbers by landing port, and by month. Data were provided by Marine Scotland in spread sheet format. Marine Scotland salmon 2012 Landings of salmon and sea trout catch from the north east region and rod and sea trout catch and line catches from the rivers closest to the project area.