Scottish Coastal Forum: Current ICZM initiatives: Spring 2004
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The Flotta oil terminal in Scapa Flow
© Orkney Islands Council |
Coastal Management in Orkney
Orkney's interest in coastal management has focused primarily on the coastal waters around the islands, rather than on land. It has been stimulated by conflict between competing users of inshore waters, especially in Scapa Flow, the enclosed and sheltered body of deep water. It is home to Orkney's oil port, as well as a rich fishing ground for the creel fishermen, a resource for anglers, for recreational diving and sailing, and for aquaculture.
The advent of fish farming in the 1980s introduced a new growth industry into the delicate balance of competing uses of inshore waters. In Scapa Flow, the Council as Harbour Authority had a direct role in resolving conflicts, through the system of works licence approval required for any marine developments.
The Council commissioned a Management Strategy for Scapa Flow, most recently updated by Heriot-Watt University in 1999. The Council also encouraged Heriot-Watt's Orkney campus to establish a Coastal Forum of all stakeholders. The Forum has met regularly and its work has informed the Council's Fish Farming Framework Document.
The current growth in interest in marine renewable energy, reinforced in Orkney by the recent establishment of the European Marine Energy Centre at Stromness, underlines again the importance of a robust management strategy for coastal waters.
Jeremy Baster,
Orkney Islands Council.
E-mail:Jeremy.Baster@orkney.gov.uk