Recommendation 13

HM Government · verbatim extract Acknowledged

21. Successive Defra fisheries ministers, as well as officials in Defra and the MMO, have recognised that one of the most important requests from the catching sector following EU exit was that there should be more engagement with those affected by decisions. We also recognise that industry’s trust in the Government has been impacted by the outcomes of a number of decisions relating to EU exit and that the industry is nervous about future decisions by Defra and others on environmental protections, offshore and other infrastructure developments. Whilst we appreciate that trust will take time to rebuild, we continue to engage pro-actively, innovatively and reflectively. 22. Close sector working has, in fact, now been embedded in ways of working by Defra and the MMO. We have significantly strengthened and modernised our approach to stakeholder engagement in fisheries management and policy development. Defra’s key delivery partners, the MMO, and the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs) operate from a network of coastal offices. Additionally, the MMO has regional liaison officers and other teams interacting daily with the fishing industry. Across Defra and delivery partners, teams routinely visit ports across the country, engaging directly with fishers before, during and after formal consultations, such as those on Marine Protected Area fisheries byelaw management measures. 23. Stakeholder engagement is an area where we want to make continuous improvement: we are constantly thinking about how we can refine and improve our engagement, because there is always scope to do better. At the same time, it is important to recognise that a balance needs to be struck in terms of stakeholder engagement. We would not expect engagement with the whole fishing industry on every consultation for example, especially when many individual fishers need to go to sea to earn a living. For example, we run an annual FISS in England that goes to 60% of vessels on the MMO fishing vessel lists rather than 100% to avoid overburdening owners and skippers. The 2025 survey found that 68% of fishers in England have previously been engaged in fisheries management meetings and a further 14% would like to. 66% have taken part in a consultation. We will continue to look to improve on these already high levels of engagement. In this context, we value truly representative organisations who enable engagement for smaller business and sole traders who are less able to devote a lot of time engaging directly with us. It is also important to recognise that, even where there is exemplary engagement, not every decision taken by the Government will be fully supported by everyone in the sector, or representative bodies. 41. Overall, the Government feels the Committee’s report paints an unduly negative picture of the state of relations with the sector and overlooks the depth and breadth of our engagement. At the same time, we fully accept that our approach to stakeholder engagement must continue to evolve and improve based on the feedback from our customers and stakeholders. We recognise the critical importance of face-to-face contact between officials and fishers, and we will continue to invest in engagement at the quayside, as well as in the wider supply chain, to inform the development of policies and management measures and to help build and maintain trust and understanding between the Government and the fishing communities we serve.