The Government have launched their long awaited thoughts on how fisheries will look post-Brexit in a white paper and have set a consultation in motion. The details of these and links are set out below.

There seems bound to be a flood of commentary on this and the links below set out some of the early responses.

Chris Williams (New Economics Foundation) it is incredibly dangerous to make all policy change conditional on certain Brexit outcomes. 

Marine Conservation Society: ‘some ambition, has been far too vague on exactly how it intends to achieve world leading sustainable fisheries’

Guardian: There are lots of links in this article – which also raises the issue once again of quota allocation and who owns the quota.

Scottish Fishermen’s Federation: SFF chief executive Bertie Armstrong said: “The White Paper enshrines the important elements of a sustainable future for our industry: allowing the UK to become an independent Coastal State, to take charge of who catches what and where, and to resist any attempt to link access to our waters to access to EU markets.

NFFO: Overall, the Government has not been noticeably coherent or cohesive in its preparations for a negotiated Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. On fisheries however, its broad position is clear, cogent, and apparently uncontroversial – within the UK anyway. This White Paper will have required support across Whitehall, and it spells out what the UK wants and expects. This aligns quite closely with what the UK fishing industry wants and expects. The high attendance and level of interest at our recent NFFO lobby day in Parliament confirmed that there will also be very wide support across the parties for the broad approach outlined here.

Government publishes plan for an independent fisheries policy & Consultation

Defra Fisheries White Paper: ‘Sustainable Fisheries for Future Generations’ sets out blueprint for sustainable and profitable industry. Published 4 July 2018   Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, and The Rt Hon Theresa May MP

A blueprint for a sustainable and profitable fishing industry that will regenerate coastal communities and support future generations of fishermen has been set out today. Outside the EU, the UK will be an independent coastal state and will regain control of our waters and natural resources, as well as the flexibility to negotiate with other countries and ensure stocks are fished sustainably.

The Fisheries White Paper – ‘Sustainable Fisheries for Future Generations’ – charts our course for managing fisheries after Brexit. It outlines how powers to be proposed in the Fisheries Bill, which will be introduced in this session of Parliament, will give the UK full control of its waters and the ability to set fishing opportunities such as quota.

In particular the paper sets out how, as an independent coastal state, the UK will have the opportunity to move towards a fairer share of fishing opportunities – overhauling the current system where UK fishermen have received a poor deal that is based on fishing patterns from the 1970s. EU Member States currently land around eight times as much fish in UK waters than the UK does in EU Member States’ waters. It also proposes a suite of measures to improve the sustainability of the fishing industry, supporting the next generation of fishermen while protecting our precious marine environment. 

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

As an island nation our fishing industry is the lifeblood of coastal communities around the UK.

I have been clear that when we leave the EU we will take back control of our waters, while ensuring we don’t see our fishermen unfairly denied access to other waters.

The plans set out today demonstrate the bright future in store as we build UK fishing industry for future generations by putting the importance of a healthy marine environment at its heart. 

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

Leaving the EU creates a sea of opportunity for our fishing industry. Outside the Common Fisheries Policy we can take back control of our waters and revitalise our coastal communities.

We will be able to put in place our own systems, becoming a world leader in managing our resources while protecting the marine environment.

We will work closely with everyone who has an interest in this important industry to make the most of this historic opportunity.

While the UK will continue to abide by Common Fisheries Policy rules during the implementation period, from 2020 we will be negotiating access to waters and fishing opportunities as an independent coastal state.

The white paper sets out a number of methods to explore fairer allocation of fishing opportunities, such as zonal attachment – which is based on distribution of fish stocks, rather than historical data.

Sitting at the heart of the white paper is the UK government’s commitment to sustainable fisheries, including ending the wasteful discarding of fish and making clear vessels will only be allowed to fish in our waters if they adhere to our high sustainability standards.

The paper also commits to publishing an annual statement setting out the health of fish stocks and based on the latest scientific evidence. If stocks are struggling, the four UK fisheries Administrations will work together to put in place a comprehensive recovery plan to restore them to healthy levels.

Likewise, the paper outlines a new approach to tackling ‘choke species’– one of the biggest challenges facing the fishing sector and which occurs when fishermen have used up their quota for a specific stock. As fishermen cannot target a certain area for risk of accidentally catching the exhausted stock, they either have to stop fishing or risk breaking the law if they land the extra stock.

The white paper proposes two new approaches in England: a reserve of quota that could be used to offset choke species, coupled with a new scheme to help fishermen unable to find quota to set against their catch.

And, as set out in its 25 Year Environment Plan, the government will pursue an ecosystem approach to fisheries management that will minimise impacts on non-commercial species and the marine environment. Click here to read more