CAUGHT

Closed area · Scottish Government (Marine Scotland)

Loch Goil Protected Area (SSI 2015 No. 435)

Bottom-towed gear prohibited

The Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing and Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2015 - SSI 2015 No. 435 (Art 14) · in force since 2016-02-08

The closure boundary as published in the source dataset, simplified for display. Basemap © Esri, HERE, Garmin, OpenStreetMap contributors.

What the rule actually says

A CAUGHT review has read the instrument behind this closure, rather than relying on the summary published with the boundary. Where the two differ, the instrument governs; this reading was made on 2026-11-03.

What is prohibited

fishing for sea fish with a dredge, beam trawl, demersal trawl or demersal seine net

In summary

Rule reviewed against the instrument: SSI 2015/435 article 14(1) prohibits fishing with a dredge, beam trawl, demersal trawl or demersal seine net in the Loch Goil Protected Area, year-round. The Order's exception for trawlers of 75 gross tonnes or less applies only in the Loch Goil Excepted Area, which lies outside the area mapped here.

As published with the boundary

Fishing for sea fish with a dredge, beam trawl, demersal trawl or demersal seine net is prohibited in the Loch Goil Protected Area. Fishing for horse mussels is prohibited

Summary as published in the source dataset, shown for comparison. A dataset paraphrase can be narrower or wider than the instrument it summarises, and finding out which is the work above.

What is prohibited
Bottom-towed gear prohibited
Authority
Scottish Government (Marine Scotland)
Instrument
The Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing and Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2015 - SSI 2015 No. 435 (Art 14)
Type
Byelaw/ Regulation
In force since
2016-02-08
Area
9 km²

What satellites have recorded here

No cases have been recorded in this closure. That is not a finding that nothing happens here — it means our sweeps have not flagged anything inside these boundaries, and coverage depends on satellite passes and on vessels being tracked at all.

What a case here means. A CAUGHT case is a reason to look, not a verdict. Each one is judged on three independent factors — was it fishing, here and then; what gear does the vessel actually use; and what was prohibited there at that time — and the weakest of the three decides. Most cases are resolved.

Boundaries and rule summaries come from the published datasets named at the foot of this page and can contain errors; the legislation is the authority. If you believe this closure is described wrongly, tell us at contact@caught.org.uk.