Select committee: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 7
Sixth Report - Protecting Marine Mammals in the UK and Abroad
Published 28 Jun 2023
Paragraph 43
Addressed to Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Marine Mammals All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We believe HPMAs are an important tool in marine mammal conservation which can play a key role in ensuring sustainable marine ecosystems. We support the rollout of the three HMPAs due to be formally designated by July 2023 and wish to see others follow. It is vitally important that their introduction is subject to comprehensive and ongoing engagement with the fishing industry, especially given increasing spatial pressures. We call on the Government to publish an ambitious timetable for the designation of HPMAs and to outline their monitoring and enforcement strategy by the end of 2023.
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Sixth Report - Protecting Marine Mammals in the UK and Abroad (HC 697), paragraph 43, 28 June 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 31 October 2023 (deadline 28 August 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with the Committee on the importance of the precautionary principle and the role of marine mammals, but disagrees with some recommendations, including a UK-wide bycatch action plan with targets and a free trade agreement commitment on marine mammal conservation.
- On bycatch, it disagrees with producing an action plan with UK-wide targets, as each fisheries policy authority will set time-bound targets "where appropriate". It will develop an England-specific work plan in 2024.
- On monitoring, it points to existing investment, including Defra's £40m mNCEA programme, and does not consider it "necessary to establish a further fund". It is considering responses to its remote electronic monitoring consultation and will respond "in due course".
- On the Dolphin and Porpoise Conservation Strategy, it acknowledges the recommendation but says "sufficient time is required", and it "hope[s] to publish in 2024". It does not expect to introduce bespoke primary legislation on marine mammals.
- On protected areas, it welcomes the suggestion but does not agree to the proposed timeline, aiming to implement management measures, "where necessary", by the end of 2024. It disagrees with a specific marine mammal conservation commitment in free trade agreements.