Fisheries and the marine environment

As it strives to deliver its energy, environmental and growth commitments, balancing the pressures on the marine environment will be a challenge for the Government. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, the UK takes part in several different international fisheries negotiations as an independent coastal state to agree total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas … Show more

As it strives to deliver its energy, environmental and growth commitments, balancing the pressures on the marine environment will be a challenge for the Government. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, the UK takes part in several different international fisheries negotiations as an independent coastal state to agree total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for fish stocks shared with other coastal states. The Committee will scrutinise the outcomes of these negotiations, as well as other outstanding issues around domestic fisheries management and EU-UK fisheries cooperation. The fisheries and the marine environment inquiry will provide consistent scrutiny of the issues and competing challenges facing the fishing sector and the UK’s marine environment. It will focus on fishers, seafood processors, consumers, environmental advocates, scientists, and coastal communities, and seek to engage with these stakeholders in formal calls for evidence, public evidence sessions, visits, engagement events and consultation. The Committee will call for evidence on a regular basis. The Committee will produce iterative and focused reports throughout the inquiry. Topics for scrutiny will include, but are not limited to: international fisheries negotiations; UK/EU quotas and access to waters from July 2026; management of protected areas; competing spatial pressures on the marine environment; implementing post-Brexit fisheries policy, including the adequacy of Fisheries Management Plans; marine conservation, including protection of marine mammals and seabird species; access to labour; and food security. This inquiry will engage the Committee’s cross-cutting work on supporting rural and coastal communities and weather and climate resilience, as well as its inquiry into fairness in the food supply chain. If you have information or evidence which may be of interest to the Committee, please contact: efracom@parliament.uk Show less