Fair Isle and its adjacent waters are internationally important for seabirds. The existing SPA has been designated to protect this interest, but is restricted to the terrestrial area. There is a broad consensus amongst user groups in favour of the concept of a marine protected area in Fair Isle waters (see Appendix 2). The support of the community and landowner for management of the marine resource surrounding their island makes Fair Isle unique in the UK.

An illustrative management plan for Fair Isle's inshore and offshore waters has been prepared to show what might be required for managing a marine protected area at this site. Acknowledging that the bird interest of the area does not end at the limits of UK territorial waters, the illustrative boundaries include sectors beyond these limits (Figure 3). The site has been sub-divided into four zones, based on their ecological sensitivity to human activities. It is likely that any management scheme would need to account for the differing complexities between the inner and outer zones.

An administrative framework and a suite of management measures have been proposed. Four elements are considered essential for the administrative framework. These are the establishment of a management group, which should include representation from the Fair Isle community; close liaison between this and 'competent authorities'; promotion of the site to the public; and establishment of an environmental management system open to public scrutiny. Of these four, the commitment of 'relevant authorities' in the management group to use their powers to protect the site is particularly important.

The list of recommendations (Table 2) illustrates the range of management measures which may be required. An analysis of the measures reveals that there are few legal constraints on putting the recommendations into practice. The majority require minimal change or are extensions of existing programmes of work or existing measures. The report also shows that it is possible to manage the site without introducing a regime which severely limits existing activities. Indeed, the advantages of a more integrated approach to managing Fair Isle waters extend far beyond the immediate conservation objectives. The illustrative plan could therefore be used as a basis for implementation of a management scheme under the auspices of the Fair Isle Marine Environment and Tourism Initiative.

Fair Isle has unique opportunities to provide a model for managing important marine sites in UK waters. It is therefore hoped that this report will promote the case for the designation of marine Special Protection Areas. More specifically, it is hoped that it will lead to an integrated approach to managing Fair Isle waters sustainably.