2003 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA4 Technical report - Existing users and management initiatives (north UKCS)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA4) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report is a synthesis of information on human activities which might have an impact on, or themselves be affected by, further oil and gas developments in the SEA4 area. The activities include fishing, mariculture, shipping, energy (both existing oil and gas developments and renewable energy), telecommunications, military activities, waste disposal, dredging and aggregate extraction, tourism, coastal and marine archaeological sites.

The SEA4 area hosts a wide variety of different users. Some have been there for centuries, others are more recent arrivals. Among the older industries and activities are fisheries, ports and shipping and military activities; the oil and gas industry and mariculture are newer arrivals. Orkney and Shetland have provided major infrastructure for the North Sea oil and gas industry since the 1970s, and there have been producing oil fields to the west of Shetland since 1997. Finfish and shellfish farming are important industries in the coastal regions of the SEA4 area.

本报告为贸易与工业部（现能源与气候变化部）所进行的战略环境评估（SEA4）的一项贡献。本报告综合了有关人类活动的信息，这些活动可能对SEA4区域内的石油和天然气开发产生影响，或自身可能受到影响。活动包括渔业、海洋养殖业、航运、能源（现有石油和天然气开发及可再生能源）、电信、军事活动、废物处理、疏浚和集料开采、旅游业、沿海及海洋考古遗址。SEA4区域容纳了众多不同的使用者，其中一些存在数百年，而另一些则是较近期的加入者。在较早的产业和活动中，包括渔业、港口与航运以及军事活动；石油和天然气产业及海洋养殖业则是较新的加入者。自20世纪70年代以来，奥克尼和设得兰为北海石油和天然气产业提供了主要的基础设施，自1997年以来，设得兰西部已有油田投产。在SEA4区域的沿海地区，鱼类和贝类养殖是重要的产业。