| Please be advised, a consultation has begun by Scottish Government on fisheries management measures within Scottish MPA. This will run until 14 October 2024. For more information please visit the Scottish Government website. |
Status: Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (Nature Conservation MPA)
The North-west Orkney MPA is a shallow area lying to the north and west of the Orkney Isles on the Scottish continental shelf. The North-west Orkney MPA lies across the 12 nm territorial sea limit. Advice on this MPA is therefore jointly delivered with NatureScot.
Site
The North-west Orkney MPA is located to the north and west of the Orkney Isles on the Scottish continental shelf. The North-west Orkney Nature Conservation MPA lies across the 12 nm territorial sea limit. Advice on this MPA is therefore jointly delivered with NatureScot. Newly hatched sandeel larvae from the North-west Orkney MPA are exported by currents to sandeel grounds around Shetland and south of the Moray Firth.
The MPA also affords protection to several geomorphological features, the study of which can help improve our understanding of the relationships between currents and seabed sediments.
More detailed site information can be found in the Summary section below.
Map displaying the North-West Orkney MPA boundary and associated protected feature data. Visit JNCC's MPA Mapper to further view and explore data for this MPA.
Legislation
Legislation behind the designation: Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009)
Protected Features
| Feature | Feature Type |
| Sandeels | Mobile species |
| Sandbanks, sand wave fields and sediment wave fields representative of the Fair Isle Strait Marine Process Bedforms Key Geodiversity Area. | Geomorphological feature |
Specific information on the conservation objectives relating to this site is provided in the Conservation Advice section.
The acquisition of new data may result in updates to our knowledge on feature presence and extent within this site. The most up to date information is reflected on the map on this page and in JNCC’s MPA Mapper and the evidence underpinning this can be viewed in the Monitoring and Evidence section.
Site Timeline
The diagram below is a summary of the key milestones involved in the selection and designation of North-west Orkney. More detail can be found in the Relevant Documentation section below.
Relevant Documentation
The documents referred to below and any other historical documents relating to North-west Orkney were produced during the selection and designation process and therefore may be out of date. This Site Information Centre is the most up-to-date source of information for this MPA, and will reflect any additional information gathered since these documents were produced. Information about the Nature Conservation MPA site selection process is available on JNCC's Nature Conservation MPA webpages.
- Site Summary Document – Overview of the site and the protected features.
- Data Confidence Assessment – Sets out our confidence in the presence and extent of the protected features.
- Assessment against MPA Selection Guidelines – Details the application of the five stages of the Scottish MPA Selection Guidelines.
- Management Options Paper - Considers the management options for achieving the Conservation Objectives for each of the protected features in the MPA.
- Designation Order – Scottish Ministerial Order for the designation including MPA boundary co-ordinates, and information on Conservation Objectives.
- Business Regulatory Impact Assessment – Assesses the environmental, social and economic costs and benefits of the designation.
- JNCC’s formal conservation advice for this site is available in the Conservation Advice section.
These resources are available on JNCC's Resource Hub.
Summary
Last updated: June 2017
The information for this site summary was adapted from documents listed in the Relevant Documentation section and incorporates and further information gathered since these documents were produced.
Site overview
The MPA is a shallow area lying to the north and west of the Orkney Isles on the Scottish continental shelf. The area is considered important as an export ground for sandeels – a type of burrowing fish that forms a critical component of many North Sea food webs. The area is characterised by a mixed ground type (areas of rough substrate within the areas of sediment) which make it suitable for sandeel colonisation. This may also account for the patchiness of the larval distribution. The MPA plays an important role in supporting wider populations of sandeels in Scottish waters. Specifically, newly hatched sandeel larvae from this region are exported by currents to sandeel grounds around Shetland and the Moray Firth. This is supported by a time series of data on larval abundance that date back to the 1950s, illustrating the continued importance of this area as an export ground for sandeels. The MPA also includes protection for geomorphological features representative of the Fair Isle Strait Marine Process Bedforms Key Geodiversity Area. These shelf tidal bedform features such as the sediment wave fields, sand wave fields and sandbanks, are active and are maintained under a specific range of tidal current conditions. It is thought that the study of these features can help improve our understanding of the relationships between currents and seabed sediments.
Site location: Co-ordinates for this Nature Conservation MPA can be found in the Designation Order listed in the Relevant Documentation section.
Site area: 4,365 km2, making it roughly twice the size of the Isle of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides.
Site depth range: 12 m below sea-level to 216 m below sea-level further away from the coast.
Charting Progress 2 Biogeographic Region: Scottish Continental Shelf.
Site boundary: The boundary of the MPA has been drawn to focus on the greatest density of newly emergent sandeel larvae in the region following consideration of newly hatched larval data, predicted larval dispersal modelling and the presence of suitable sediments for sandeel colonisation.
Monitoring and Evidence
Last updated: December 2023
There are a range of data that underpin this Nature Conservation MPA. The full overview of the data used to support site identification along with information on confidence in feature presence and extent is available in the North-west Orkney MPA Data Confidence Assessment. JNCC will be adding relevant survey data for this MPA to its MPA interactive map in due course.
Some of the data for this Natural Conservation MPA has been collected through JNCC-funded or collaborative surveys and some through other means. Data from these surveys provide direct evidence confirming the presence of the protected feature within the site.
Survey and data gathering
- Marine Directorate Science Survey Trawls (1986–1991) – This is a collation of historic trawl surveys completed by Marine Scotland Science recording the occurrence of sandeels across the extent of the MPA. Data from these surveys have been analysed and reported through Wright & Bailey (1996), Procter et al. (1996) and Wright et al. (2000) (see References and additional relevant literature below).
Data analysis reports
- Spatial patterns and trends in abundance of larval Ammodytidae from Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) surveys of the North Sea (1950–2005) (2013) – This study (Lynam et al. 2013) analysed data gathered and stored by the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) In the CPR database. The data is gathered from continuous plankton recorders attached to commercial trawlers. This data was used to show the mean abundance of sandeel larvae.
- The influence of sediment type on the distribution of the lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus (2000) – Particle Size Analysis data from British Geological Survey samples collected in the area between 1973 and 1980 were analysed by Wright et al. (2000) to assess suitability for sandeel colonisation. Seven of nine records from the site were considered suitable for sandeels; these occurred in the south-west and eastern area of the site.
- Modelling the transport of larval sandeels on the north-west European shelf (1998) – Young sandeel transport in the North Sea was predicted by Proctor et al. (1998) using data on sandeel spawning locations, age and hatching time combined with a model of ocean currents over a 39-year period. The study showed that sandeel larvae from North-West Orkney MPA may disperse widely across the North Sea.
- Timing of hatching in Ammodytes marinus from Shetland waters and its significance to early growth and survivorship (1996) – The growth and survival of sandeels was examined using otolith microstructure in this study. The study supports the extensive export of sandeel larvae from the MPA to sandeel grounds around Shetland and south of the Moray Firth.
Additional relevant literature
Further supporting scientific literature consulted during the identification of this site can be found in the Data Confidence Assessment. Please be aware that although these sources contain information which is of interest in relation to this MPA, they do not necessarily represent the views of JNCC.
- Lynam, C.P., Pitois, S., Halliday, N.C., Van Damme, C., Wright, P.J. and Edwards, M. (2013) Spatial patterns and trends in abundance of larval Ammodytidae from Continuous Plankton Recorder surveys of the North Sea: 1950–2005. ICES Journal of Marine Science, doi:10.1093/icesjms/fst006.
- Proctor, R., Wright, P.J. and Everitt, A. (1998) Modelling the transport of larval sandeels on the north-west European shelf. Fisheries Oceanography, 7 (3–4): 347–354.
- Wright, P.J. and Bailey, M.C. (1996) Timing of hatching in Ammodytes marinus from Shetland waters and its significance to early growth and survivorship. Marine Biology, 126 (1): 143–152.
Knowledge gaps
As part of the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy (UKMMAS), JNCC led the development of a UK Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy, working with partners across the UK monitoring community. The Strategy spans UK territorial and offshore waters, focusing on biodiversity in the wider environment and within Marine Protected Areas. Its aim is to implement efficient, integrated monitoring of marine biodiversity to provide the evidence needed for all the UK's policy drivers.
The Marine Directorate of Scottish Government, in partnership with JNCC and NatureScot, developed a Scottish Marine Protected Area (MPA) monitoring strategy. The Strategy spans Scottish territorial and offshore waters, focusing on biodiversity within Marine Protected Areas. The Strategy is supported by a series of annexes which provide more detail on monitoring methods, collaborative working, current monitoring and a two year forward look for MPA monitoring in Scottish waters.
The evidence collected during MPA monitoring surveys is used in combination with other available evidence to:
- Enable assessment of condition of the features within sites;
- Contribute to the assessment of the degree to which management measures are effective in achieving the conservation objectives for the protected features;
- Support the identification of priorities for future protection and/or management; and,
- Enable Government to fulfil its national and international assessment and reporting commitments in relation to MPAs and help identify where further action may be required.
More detail on offshore MPA monitoring can be found on the Offshore MPA monitoring webpage. A list of monitoring surveys and relevant reports can be found on the MPA monitoring survey reports webpage.
If you are aware of any additional data or relevant scientific papers for this site not listed in the Relevant Documentation section, including the North-West Orkney MPA Data Confidence Assessment, please contact us.
Conservation Advice
Last updated: April 2018
Updated formal conservation advice is now available for this MPA. Further information on the approach used to develop this advice is available on our Conservation Advice webpages along with a Glossary of Terms used in JNCC conservation advice and a short video explaining how to use the conservation advice packages.
You must refer to this advice if you:
- undertake an impact assessment for a plan or project that could impact the site;
- provide information for such an assessment;
- respond to specific measures to further the conservation objectives for the site; and
- consider the need to put new or additional management measures in place.
You may also find it useful to refer to this advice if you:
- Carry out any other activity that could impact the site.
We will engage with stakeholders to identify any lessons which JNCC can learn from customers who have used the advice, with a view to continuing to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.
The following table provides an overview of the components of the conservation advice, and provides hyperlinks to each of the products for this MPA. These elements together form JNCC’s formal conservation advice for this site and should be read in conjunction with each other. This advice reflects the most up-to-date evidence held by JNCC (correct as of April 2018).
| Document | Overview |
|---|---|
| Background Information |
Explains the purpose of the advice and when it must be referred to. |
|
The conservation objectives set out the broad ecological aims for the site. JNCC provides supplementary advice in the SACO which is essential reading to support interpretation of these conservation objectives. You can use these documents to assess the impacts of your planned activity on the important attributes of the site. Please note our current understanding of whether the available evidence indicates that each attribute needs to be recovered or conserved is not provided here. However, links to available evidence for the site are provided and should you require further site-specific information for the site, please contact us. |
|
| Conservation Advice Statements |
These statements provide a summary of the Supplementary Advice on the Conservation Objectives (SACO).
|
| Feature, Activity, Sensitivity Tool (FeAST) |
Provides an initial assessment of whether a proposed plan or project (or ongoing activity) may have an impact on a protected feature within the site. FeAST identifies pressures associated with the most commonly occurring marine activities, and provides a detailed assessment of feature sensitivity to these pressures. A human activity is considered capable of affecting, other than insignificantly, a feature where the feature is known to be sensitive to associated pressures. The sensitivity assessments provided in FeAST, should be used at an early stage of a plan or project when considering potential impacts of an activity. |
These resources are available on JNCC's Resource Hub.
Image Gallery
Published: .