The Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2026

These regulations amend the regulatory framework for fish farming. Currently the responsibility for the regulation of fish farm environmental discharges:

• between 0-3 nautical miles, is with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
• between 3–12 nautical miles, is with the Marine Directorate - Licensing Operations Team (MD-LOT) on behalf of Scottish Ministers

These Regulations make SEPA the responsible authority for the regulation of fish farm discharges for both 0-3 and 3-12 nautical miles.

These Regulations also makes a number of additional amendments to both The Environmental Authorisation (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (“EASR”) and the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 (the 2025 Regulations), which correct technical details in the text.

Read more on the regulations here - The Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2026