At our “The Future of UK Fisheries Management” event on 24 May 2023, we heard from a variety of speakers on what FMPs mean for fishers, alongside the plans for undertaking and collating scientific research, collaborative efforts with industry and stakeholders, and future milestones regarding each FMP.
Attendees heard from:
Minister Spencer - Minister of State - Defra
Lewis Tattersall - Head of Fisheries Management - Seafish (Speaking on the Crab and Lobster FMP and Whelk FMP)
Claire Pescod - Head of Sustainability and Science - Macduff Shellfish (Speaking on the King Scallop FMP)
Phil McBryde - Policy Lead - Defra (Speaking on the Bass FMP)
Isobel Johnston - Head of Fisheries Management Plans and International - Marine Management Organisation (MMO) (Speaking on the Channel Non-Quota Demersal Species FMP)
Bavi Sarma - Senior Policy Advisor - Defra (Speaking on the Southern North Sea and Eastern Channel Mixed Flatfish FMP)
Jo Pollett - Senior Fisheries Manager - Marine Stewardship Council (Speaking on Project UK and the importance of FMPs for successful UK Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs))
Robbie Fisher - Head of Sustainability - Defra (Representing Minister Spencer during the Q&A session)
A full recording of the online event can be found here:
Following the presentations, Parliamentarians and attendees put their questions to the panel. Written summaries of all questions and answers are provided below. Please note that these answers reflect the views of the panelists, rather than the APPG Secretariat or its Members.
QUESTIONS FROM MPS
Regarding the objective of maximising benefit to local communities, this needs to tie in with the marketing and consumption of seafood. What link is there with regional seafood strategies? (Peter Aldous MP)
Robbie Fisher (speaking on behalf of Minister Spencer) said that the focus of the FMPs will be to meet basic legal requirements set out in Section 6 of the Fisheries Act 2020 around sustainable harvesting. But FMP policy has potential to also address other fishery challenges such as seafood supply chain links.
What is being done to improve poor data going forward, for non-quota and quota species? (Peter Aldous MP)
Isobel Johnston said that part of the FMP development process has focused on identifying data gaps and creating research plans to prioritise and address these.
For success, we need buy-in from EU vessels fishing in UK waters. How have discussions around that gone? (Peter Aldous MP)
Robbie Fisher said that the EU is well-briefed on the UK’s programme, and that it was consulted on the Joint Fisheries Statement. The UK Government will continue to work with them on implementing management measures, which will apply to all vessels in waters covered by the FMPs.
Bavi Sarma provided further detail on the Southern North Sea and Eastern Channel Mixed Flatfish fishery, for which Total Allowable Catches (TACs) have been discussed with the EU; for example, there is a role for both the UK and EU to play in agreeing to Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) for stocks annually, and this is an ambition that needs to be set clearly in the FMP. Sarma added that Defra is working on a realignment of some TACs through the Specialised Fisheries Committee, based on a TAC obligation agreed several years ago.
The nature of our seas is that they are dynamic and changing. FMPs will be taking a snapshot, when they need to be living documents, able to adapt. How are we building that in? (Peter Aldous MP)
Speaking in response to this question and the previous ones, Robbie Fisher said that the FMPs are very new policy, and that there is much work to do in terms of how they will work in the UK context and in English waters; but that much progress is being made towards this with the early FMPs. Fisher noted that the FMPs will be implemented through various mechanisms such as licence conditions and voluntary measures, and that the UK Government will continue to work with the EU as an ongoing process over the coming years. He added that the process will differ across fisheries, with different measures and conversations with EU fleets required.
How are FMPs going to fit with any local plans of the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs), and how will there be communication with IFCAs to ensure that different departments and groups are working towards the same goals, and engaging with other users of the sea such as offshore wind developers? (Sheryll Murray MP)
Robbie Fisher said that the IFCAs are key to the FMP work, and that many conversations have been held with them. There is a need to strike a balance between consistency across different management regions and giving the IFCAs freedom to develop the right local measures to support FMP objectives. Fisher added that the FMPs provide the capability to establish consistent plans across bigger areas, allowing time to rationalise management systems in those different fisheries more effectively.
Speaking on the issue of spatial competition, Fisher noted that fishermen frequently raised this during FMP consultations, and that the draft FMPs will recognise it as a challenge. Work will be needed to ensure alignment between marine spatial planning and Defra policy. Fisher added that Defra has set up another programme in English waters looking at spatial uses by all sectors and working with other govt departments, to identify conflicts and policy options; there has been good engagement with the fishing industry in that process.
QUESTIONS FROM other attendeeS
For the King Scallop FMP, is there a possibility of having a quota system for the offshore and more nomadic fleet, and a different system for the inshore fleet? And have dive-caught and the emerging potting fisheries been factored into discussions?
Claire Pescod clarified that the FMP will cover all removals of scallop. Potting was raised during the stakeholder engagement process, given the concern that any additional pressure on stocks presents a risk, so more data is needed on this type of fishing activity as well as diving. Pescod added that Natural England is feeding into this FMP process and conducting a pilot study on potting for scallops with lights. Regarding different management for offshore and inshore fleets, this could be considered, provided there is an evidence base.
Could more details be provided on the site-specific measures that have been proposed for the Crab and Lobster FMP?
Lewis Tattersall said that such proposals were a work in progress, although Cefas stock assessments suggest they are needed, with much interest in this for crab fisheries in particular. He added that Seafish will work collaboratively with associated working groups and other bodies such as the IFCAs to refine the specifics of the proposals, and that it will be essential to work collaboratively given the significance and value of these fisheries to coastal communities around England.
Will there be any specific funding for filling evidence gaps identified by the FMPs?
Robbie Fisher said there would be, with funding to be allocated based on prioritisations, given that gathering marine evidence is expensive and that it will not be possible to address all data gaps. Fisher added that Defra is directing its grants towards this, for example the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme, work from which can be fed into the FMP process. Defra is also keen to provide opportunities for other actors and organisations to support data collection, such as Seafish and academia.
Will the reports from the FMP stakeholder engagement processes be published online?
The speakers for the different frontrunner FMPs all responded that these will be published online as soon as it is possible to do so, and will be included as annexes in the draft FMPs. Isobel Johnston for the Channel Non-Quota Demersal Species FMP added that some feedback documents have been published on the MMO’s website in advance of the formal engagement report. Jo Pollett added that various documents and research outputs which have been fed into the FMP development process are available on the Project UK website, and fisheryprogress.org, which is an independently-reviewed tracker for Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs).
Channel fishermen are concerned about whether the FMP process will happen fast enough to address high and potentially unsustainable fishing effort by flyseining vessels. Is there a strong willingness to address this?
Phil McBryde said the Fisheries Minister recognised the degree of concern over this issue, noting that some of the flyseining effort in the Channel is from UK vessels as well as EU vessels. The UK has agreed to take forward a Statutory Instrument to remove in English waters the 40mm mesh size exemption currently being used in the squid fishery ahead of this autumn’s flyseining season, which will also reduce catches (and bycatch) of other fish. McBryde added that the EU provides data on non-quota species caught in UK waters, and that discussions are ongoing regarding transparency, with the UK publishing data on its effort in EU waters each month; what is not known is the impact that removals are having on stocks, and their sustainability. McBryde said that some management options considered last year received a mixed response from stakeholders, so it is important to carefully consider which ones to take forward.
Many species are data-poor which reflects the ineffectiveness of methods used to collect data on them. What plans are there to improve this?
Lewis Tattersall said that the Crab and Lobster FMP and Whelk FMP both set out use of existing data-gathering methods and others such as effort data, “fishery independent” data, and the FISP scheme. Regarding the King Scallop FMP, Claire Pescod said that the industry currently funds five-yearly stock assessments, although some areas require more data. She added that the Fisheries Act draws on the precautionary principle and this will inform the evidence and research plan setting out data gaps for the King Scallop FMP to address. On the Bass FMP, Phil McBryde said there is already fairly substantial evidence for the stock, but still some gaps, such as discards; the self-report catch up or other options could be explored. Isobel Johnston said that data collection has been a key area of concern for stakeholders of the Channel Non-Quota Demersal Species FMP, including that relating to recreational fishing.