Recommendations to the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2023

A coalition of environmental NGOs urges the UK to align 2023 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) with scientific advice from ICES to combat persistent overfishing. The recommendations emphasize the precautionary approach, ecosystem-based management, and the need for a 'climate buffer' for vulnerable species. The authors highlight that nearly two-thirds of UK-negotiated TACs from 2020-2022 exceeded scientific advice and call for stricter controls on mixed fisheries, the Landing Obligation, and the protection of critically endangered species like the European eel.

• UK fisheries management has consistently failed to align catch limits with scientific advice, with a Cefas report indicating that nearly two-thirds of assessed TACs negotiated by the UK for 2020, 2021, and 2022 were set above scientific advice.
• The authors recommend that the UK set TACs below maximum catch advice for species vulnerable to climate change to create a 'climate buffer' and increase population resilience.
• In mixed fisheries, the UK is urged to set TACs for more abundant stocks below their single-stock advice to prevent the overfishing of more vulnerable species caught in the same fishery.
• The document argues that the Landing Obligation (LO) is poorly enforced and that TACs should be set lower than ICES maximum catch advice to account for illegal discarding.
• For critically endangered species such as the European eel, the authors recommend a total ban on targeted fishing and the addition of the species to the prohibited species list, citing ICES advice of zero catch for all life stages.
• Deep-sea stocks are identified as exceptionally vulnerable due to slow growth and late maturity; the authors recommend zero TACs for species listed as vulnerable, threatened, or endangered, such as the roundnose grenadier.

APA

ClientEarth (2022). Recommendations to the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2023. https://www.clientearth.org/media/xirbuzkc/ngo-tac-recommendations-to-uk-for-2023-signed-off.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Recommendations to the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2023. 2022. https://www.clientearth.org/media/xirbuzkc/ngo-tac-recommendations-to-uk-for-2023-signed-off.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Recommendations to the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2023 |date=22 September 2022 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/xirbuzkc/ngo-tac-recommendations-to-uk-for-2023-signed-off.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2022recommendations, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Recommendations to the UK on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2023}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/xirbuzkc/ngo-tac-recommendations-to-uk-for-2023-signed-off.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }