Marine Historic Environment

The seabed makes up almost 50% of Scotland (out to 12 nautical miles offshore). Throughout history, Scotland’s coasts and seas have provided a source of food and energy, a means of defence from invasion, and a springboard for trade and communication between neighbouring communities and across oceans. As a result, a wide range of archaeological sites can be found on the foreshore and seabed.

Scotland's marine historic environment

Scotland’s marine historic environment comprises:

• remains of ships and aircraft lost at sea
• harbours, lighthouses and other structures relating to transport and trade by sea
• remains of human settlement at the coastal fringe. In some cases, sites may now be underwater as a result of changes in sea level
  

Although these sites are out of sight for most of us, Historic Scotland’s policy is that, so far as is possible, the nation’s underwater heritage should be managed, protected and investigated as carefully and thoroughly as its terrestrial equivalent.

Live issues

The Marine (Scotland) Act received Royal Assent on 10 March 2010 and further information can be found here. Implementing this legislation will help to deliver the Scottish Government’s marine vision for ‘clean, healthy, safe, productive, biologically diverse marine and coastal environments, managed to meet the long-term needs of people and nature’ and high level marine objectives for the UK.

Marine Scotland, SEPA, Scottish Natural Heritage and Historic Scotland have agreed a framework for close and effective co-operation amongst the key public bodies in Scotland with a national remit, in order to help turn the marine vision into reality.

In April 2012, Historic Scotland published a Strategy for the protection, management and promotion of marine heritage 2012-15 and Guidelines on the selection, designation and management of Historic Marine Protected Areas.These documents set out how Historic Scotland will implement powers in the new marine legislation, thereby contributing to the marine vision.