Marine Scotland is the Marine Management Organisation for Scotland. It is a multi-faceted organisation of 700 staff operating through 27 sites across Scotland. Marine Scotland operates 2 planes and 5 ships which undertake a combination of fisheries protection duties and scientific research and monitoring. The main science facilities are at the Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen and the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory in Pitlochry. Although the Marine Laboratory has had a strong focus on fisheries (demersal, pelagic and shellfisheries), there has always been an environmental component to the science programme. Both environmental and aquaculture science have become a significant area of research in the last 30 years. Marine Scotland Science (MSS) provides scientific and technical advice on marine and freshwater fisheries, aquaculture, and the environment to support policy and regulatory responsibilities on behalf of the Scottish Government.

MSS also offers ASSEMBLE Plus access services.

MSS will offer transnational access (TA) and contribute to NA1 and NA2.