Setting Sustainable, Ecosystem-based Fishing Limits For 2025

A coalition of environmental organisations calls on the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to adopt precautionary, ecosystem-based catch limits for 2025. The authors argue that current scientific advice often fails to account for ecosystem integrity and that setting limits at or above this advice undermines marine biodiversity and climate resilience. They specifically recommend setting limits below International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advice for forage fish and abundant stocks in mixed fisheries, eliminating bycatch, and increasing transparency in negotiations with the EU.

• The authors contend that current scientific advice for fishing limits does not fully protect ecosystem dynamics, and that setting limits at or above this advice threatens long-term ocean health and the ability of fisheries to withstand climate change.
• Data indicates that less than 50% of 2024 catch limits involving the UK followed scientific advice, and 30% of fully assessed stocks in the Northeast Atlantic remain overfished.
• The coalition recommends setting catch limits below the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) single-stock advice in two specific scenarios: for more abundant stocks in mixed fisheries to protect depleted species, and for forage fish to ensure food supply for other marine wildlife.
• To improve sustainability and accountability, the document advocates for the elimination of bycatch and discards, the use of remote electronic monitoring (REM) with cameras, and greater transparency in negotiations according to the UNECE Aarhus Convention.

APA

ClientEarth (2024). Setting Sustainable, Ecosystem-based Fishing Limits For 2025. https://www.clientearth.org/media/qergl2ez/ngo-letter-to-eu-and-uk-on-tacs-for-2025-uk-sos-version-final.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Setting Sustainable, Ecosystem-based Fishing Limits For 2025. 2024. https://www.clientearth.org/media/qergl2ez/ngo-letter-to-eu-and-uk-on-tacs-for-2025-uk-sos-version-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Setting Sustainable, Ecosystem-based Fishing Limits For 2025 |date=12 September 2024 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/qergl2ez/ngo-letter-to-eu-and-uk-on-tacs-for-2025-uk-sos-version-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2024setting, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Setting Sustainable, Ecosystem-based Fishing Limits For 2025}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/qergl2ez/ngo-letter-to-eu-and-uk-on-tacs-for-2025-uk-sos-version-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }