· FOI/EIR · partially withheld
MPA fisheries management rules: EIR release
Information requested
Number of incidents reported to Marine Scotland of suspected or actual infringements of MPA fisheries management rules (hereafter 'incidents') since 22 May 2017 until present day. The number of reported incidents which were subsequently investigated by Marine Scotland. The number of individual vessels these incidents relate to, including those reported to Marine Scotland between 16 August 2015 to present day. The names of the MPAs in which these incidents have been reported, and the number of incidents reported at each MPA. The number of incidents reported relating to fishing with a) trawling gear, b) dredging gear, c) creeling gear, and d) any other form of fishing.
As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
Response
I enclose a copy of all of the information requested, it can be found below.
Detected exemption language
We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA. This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes.