Fisheries: Quotas
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans has she got to reduce the quotas next year that are set for (a) mackerel (b) whitebait and (c) sand eels.
Answered by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The UK Government works with international partners to set annual catch limits for shared fish stocks, informed by the best available scientific advice on the state of those stocks. When setting fishing opportunities for 2027, we will continue to balance the requirements of the Fisheries Act and Joint Fisheries Statement.
For mackerel, no decisions have been made on fishing opportunities for 2027. The relevant coastal States, including the UK, will consider the scientific advice when it becomes available and discuss catch limits and management measures during the annual autumn negotiations.
The term ‘whitebait’ may be used to describe a range of small and young fish species, including forage fish. Any decisions on catch limits or management measures will therefore depend on the stock concerned. Since March 2024, the UK Government has prohibited the fishing of sandeels within English waters and, from 2021, the UK has not allocated its sandeel quota to be fished.
The UK Government recognises the ecological importance of forage fish species, including sprat, herring and sandeel, for the role they play as a food source within the marine ecosystem and that their function and role should be considered when setting fishing opportunities.
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