Recommendations to the UK Government on the setting of fishing opportunities for Northeast Atlantic fish stocks for 2021

ClientEarth, the Marine Conservation Society, and Oceana urge the UK Government to set 2021 catch limits based on the best available scientific advice from ICES, specifically advocating for limits not exceeding the maximum sustainable yield (MSY). The recommendations emphasize a precautionary, ecosystem-based approach, particularly for deep-sea stocks and depleted species like Atlantic cod and whiting. Key proposals include the mandatory rollout of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) for vessels over 10m, the implementation of Fish Stock Recovery Areas, and the use of highly selective fishing gear to reduce bycatch. The authors argue that restoring fish stocks to healthy levels would increase the value of fish landings by an estimated 37% and create over 5,000 new jobs.

• The UK has failed to meet the 2020 EU deadline for ending overfishing, and its waters are among the most heavily exploited globally. This failure also means the UK is missing all but four of the fifteen Good Environmental Status (GES) indicators required by the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, specifically all those related to commercial fisheries.
• Restoring UK fish stocks to levels associated with the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is projected to provide significant economic benefits, including a 37% increase in the value of fish landings and the creation of more than 5,000 new jobs.
• The authors recommend that the UK Government set catch limits that do not exceed the best available scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), including the FMSY point value in multi-annual plans. They further suggest setting limits lower than ICES advice to account for poor compliance with the Landing Obligation.
• To improve monitoring and compliance, the document proposes the mandatory rollout of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) with cameras on vessels over 10 meters in length, as these vessels account for the majority of the catch.
• For deep-sea stocks, which are highly vulnerable to over-exploitation due to limited productivity and recovery capacity, the authors recommend a precautionary approach and the adoption of a zero Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for orange roughy at NEAFC.
• Regarding specific stocks, the authors recommend a bycatch-only catch limit of approximately 1,000 tonnes for seabass in Divisions 4.b–c, 7.a, and 7.d–h, arguing that the ICES advised range of 1,680–2,000 tonnes would result in a negligible increase in Spawning Stock Biomass.
• For North Sea Cod, the authors recommend a TAC not exceeding 14,755 tonnes as advised by ICES and support increasing the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) to 45 cm to protect juvenile fish.

APA

ClientEarth (2020). Recommendations to the UK Government on the setting of fishing opportunities for Northeast Atlantic fish stocks for 2021. https://www.clientearth.org/media/ts4nakxu/joint-ngo-recommendations-to-the-uk-government-on-fishing-opportunities-for-2021-coll-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Recommendations to the UK Government on the setting of fishing opportunities for Northeast Atlantic fish stocks for 2021. 2020. https://www.clientearth.org/media/ts4nakxu/joint-ngo-recommendations-to-the-uk-government-on-fishing-opportunities-for-2021-coll-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Recommendations to the UK Government on the setting of fishing opportunities for Northeast Atlantic fish stocks for 2021 |date=11 September 2020 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/ts4nakxu/joint-ngo-recommendations-to-the-uk-government-on-fishing-opportunities-for-2021-coll-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2020recommendations, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Recommendations to the UK Government on the setting of fishing opportunities for Northeast Atlantic fish stocks for 2021}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/ts4nakxu/joint-ngo-recommendations-to-the-uk-government-on-fishing-opportunities-for-2021-coll-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }