| Sea of the Hebrides | |
|---|---|
| An Cuan Barrach (Scottish Gaelic) | |
 The Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides | |
  Sea of the Hebrides | |
| Location | Scotland |
| Coordinates | 57°N7°W / 57°N 7°W /57; -7 |
| Type | Sea |
TheSea of the Hebrides (Scottish Gaelic:An Cuan Barrach,pronounced[ən̪ˠˈkʰuanˈparˠəx])[1] is a small and partly sheltered section of theNorth Atlantic Ocean, indirectly off the southern part of the north-west coast ofScotland. To the east are the mainland of Scotland and the northernInner Hebrides (includingSkye and theSmall Isles); to the west are the southernOuter Hebrides islands, principallySouth Uist,Eriskay, andBarra. To the north is theLittle Minch, a channel connecting it withthe Minch.[2]
The Sea of the Hebrides forms part of theInner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland, as defined by theInternational Hydrographic Organization,[3] and part of theSeas west of Scotland as far as fisheries management is concerned.
Ending on 30 August 2019, theScottish Government consulted on a proposal to designate the Sea of the Hebrides aMarine Protected Area (MPA).[4] The designation was confirmed in December 2020.[5] The designated area of the MPA covers 10,039 square kilometres (3,876 sq mi), mainly to protect the area's population ofbasking sharks andminke whales.[6]
| Historic Marine Protected Areas | |
|---|---|
| Nature Conservation MPAs |
|
| Demonstration and Research MPA | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
