Photo by Kat
The UK government has opened consultations on the final four fisheries management plans (FMPs) required under the 2020 Fisheries Act, completing Defra’s programme to establish management frameworks for England’s key commercial stocks.
The four proposed FMPs cover Celtic Sea and Western Channel demersal fisheries, Celtic Sea and Western Channel pelagic stocks, the wrasses complex, and seabream. All four consultations run for 12 weeks, closing at 11:59pm on 5 May 2026.
Fisheries Minister Angela Eagle said: “The UK has some of the best wild seafood in the world and fisheries management plans are vital for securing its long-term sustainability so that our fishing industry continues to prosper.”
The Defra FMP blog noted that the plans “build on the 11 FMPs published so far” and are intended to set out practical actions for the short, medium, and long term to restore or maintain stocks at sustainable levels. Proposed actions include developing recovery plans for vulnerable stocks in the Celtic Sea and Western Channel, improving the evidence base for data-poor stocks, and strengthening data collection and monitoring.
The Celtic Sea and Western Channel demersal FMP — developed jointly by Defra and the Welsh Government — addresses key commercial species including cod, haddock, whiting, and sole. As The Fishing Daily reported, the plan covers one of the UK’s most commercially important fishing areas, and follows significant regulatory change for demersal fleets in recent years. The pelagic plan covers sardine, anchovy, sprat, Atlantic horse mackerel, and boarfish in the same area, while the wrasses FMP encompasses species used primarily as cleaner fish in salmon aquaculture, and the seabream plan addresses black, red, and axillary seabream.
The announcement has been met with criticism from environmental advocates. Alec Taylor, Director of Policy and Research at Oceana UK, told Oceanographic magazine: “We have little confidence in the ability of these fisheries management plans to deliver real change for our seas – too many of the proposals are left open-ended, or repeat the perpetual refrain of ‘more evidence needed’.” He continued: “Our seas cannot wait. The Celtic Sea has been hollowed out by repeated overfishing and destructive bottom trawling, but we see little recognition of this appalling base state in the fisheries management plans.”
Oceanographic also noted that transparency data required by the 2020 Fisheries Act shows that in 2024 and 2025, 52% of catch limits were set above the scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
These four plans complete the suite of FMPs mandated by the Fisheries Act 2020, which requires the government to prepare management plans for stocks of major commercial or environmental importance. As SeafoodSource reported, Defra has now published 11 FMPs since the UK left the EU, including plans for North Sea and Channel sprat, queen scallop, crab and lobster, and bass.