Securing ambitious, ecosystem-based management of forage fish in the UK

A coalition of environmental organisations advises the UK government to centre its Industrial Fishing Strategy on the ecological role of forage fish rather than their end use. The authors argue for the urgent closure of the UK Exclusive Economic Zone to sandeel fishing to protect seabird populations and recommend expanding the strategy's scope to include at least 13 additional species critical to marine food webs. They further suggest collaborating with the European Union and Norway and seeking a Management Strategy Evaluation by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea to establish robust catch limits using ecological multipliers.

• The UK government should shift the focus of its Industrial Fishing Strategy from the end use of fish to their ecological role, drawing inspiration from the United States of America
  s Forage Fish Conservation Act 2019.
• There is an urgent need to close the UK Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to sandeel fishing to mitigate the depletion of prey for UK seabirds, which is a driver in the failure to achieve "Good Environmental Status" (GES) for marine birds under the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010.
• The strategy should encompass more than just sandeel and Norway pout; at least 13 other species in UK waters that are critical to the diets of higher trophic level predators should be included in a robust management system.

APA

ClientEarth (2022). Securing ambitious, ecosystem-based management of forage fish in the UK. https://www.clientearth.org/media/cuvf0ck1/20220704_uk_defra_forage_fish_letter_final.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Securing ambitious, ecosystem-based management of forage fish in the UK. 2022. https://www.clientearth.org/media/cuvf0ck1/20220704_uk_defra_forage_fish_letter_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Securing ambitious, ecosystem-based management of forage fish in the UK |date=4 July 2022 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/cuvf0ck1/20220704_uk_defra_forage_fish_letter_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2022securing, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Securing ambitious, ecosystem-based management of forage fish in the UK}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2022}, month = jul, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/cuvf0ck1/20220704_uk_defra_forage_fish_letter_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }