Skip to main content

Marine pen fish farm pre-application process

Flow 1: Marine pen fish farm pre-application process

  1. Developer submits pre-application proposal to aquaculture.pre-app@sepa.org.uk
  2. SEPA carries out initial screening assessment:
    1. Organic solids
    2. Medicines
    3. Nutrients
    4. Sea lice (bespoke sea lice screening, if applicable)
  3. SEPA produces draft screening report
  4. Developer considers draft screening report
  5. SEPA publishes draft screening report
  6. Developer organises local engagement (this considers information on other uses of sea and local knowledge of biodiversity features)
  7. SEPA finalises and publishes screening report:
    1. If assessment of organic solid medicine or nutrient discharges required, move to
      Flow 1.1
    2. Is baseline information required, move to Flow 1.2
    3. If further sea lice assessment required, move to Flow 1.3

Flow 1.1: Assessment of organic solid, medicine or nutrient discharges required

  1. Developer submits calibration and validation data collection method to
    aquaculture.modelling@sepa.org.uk
  2. SEPA advises on suitability of proposed method
  3. Developer collects and submits calibration and validation data
  4. SEPA reviews and advises if collected data is ok
  5. Developer undertakes and submits modelling assessment
  6. SEPA reviews modelling assessment, if ok, prepares modelling summary report and sends to developer

OR

  1. Developer submits discharge modelling method to aquaculture.modelling@sepa.org.uk
  2. SEPA advises on suitability of proposed method.

Flow 1.2: Baseline information required (mapping of sensitive protected biodiversity; seabed quality; or other uses)

  1. Developer submits baseline information collection plan to aquaculture.monitoring@sepa.org.uk
  2. SEPA advises on suitability of proposed plan
  3. Developer collects and submits baseline information
  4. SEPA reviews collected data and advises if ok
  5. SEPA prepares baseline summary report and sends to developer

Flow 1.3: Further sea lice assessment required

SEPA undertakes refined modelling assessment:

  1. Developer submits calibration and validation data collection method to
    aquaculture.modelling@sepa.org.uk
  2. SEPA advises on suitability of proposed method
  3. Developer collects and submits calibration and validation data
  4. SEPA reviews and advises if collected data is ok
  5. SEPA undertakes refined modelling assessment
  6. SEPA prepares sea lice modelling summary report (including the relative risk category, between 1-4) and sends to developer

Or if developer submits refined modelling assessment:

  1. Developer submits refined modelling method to aquaculture.modelling@sepa.org.uk
  2. SEPA advises on suitability of proposed method
  3. Developer collects and submits calibration and validation data
  4. SEPA reviews and advises if collected data is ok
  5. Developer submits refined modelling assessment
  6. SEPA reviews modelling assessment
  7. SEPA prepares sea lice modelling summary report (including the relative risk category, between 1-4) and sends to developer