Sustainable Fish Cities welcomes plan for new fisheries bill

A new fisheries bill was among legislative proposals set out in the Queen’s Speech today. The bill will allow the UK 'to take on responsibility for access to fisheries and management of its waters'.

Ruth Westcott, Coordinator of the Sustainable Fish Cities Campaign commented: "We welcome the news that Government will create a new bill for fisheries. A great deal of UK fishing policy (though by no means all) comes from the EU. Clearly there is a need to plug the significant policy gaps left by Brexit, but there is also an incredible opportunity to create an ambitious and innovative new fishing regime."

The EU Common Fisheries Policy, which has directed the bulk of EU fishing law, includes regulations such as a ban on discarding fish overboard and a requirement that catch limits must be below scientifically-set sustainable levels. It also ensures co-ordinated management and monitoring, requires data to be shared internationally and sets out funding arrangements for transitioning to sustainable fishing.

Ruth stressed that these vital aspects must be kept: "Government must protect and build on the aspects of the Common Fisheries Policy (many of which were called for by the UK), that have seen the recovery of some UK stocks in the last few years. It must also resolve in the bill where the promised future funding for sustainable fishing will come from, to reassure the industry."

Sustainable Fish Cities has proposed a number of policies for inclusion in a fisheries bill. Ruth says, "These proposals have the long term sustainability of fish stocks and our fishing communities at their heart, and if implemented could put an extra £1 billion per year into UK fishing communities."

Ruth also aired concerns about the process by which post-Brexit decisionmaking will happen "Brexit is an opportunity for the UK to create the best-managed fisheries in the world. But we cannot let deregulation-hungry ministers, boosted by new law-making powers in the Great Repeal Bill, dictate this future. Any changes to EU policy that go beyond simple technical tweaks must be open to due process. We will therefore be scrutinising the Great Repeal Bill with interest."

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What a Sustainable Fisheries Bill could look like

• All states fishing within scientifically-established catch limits, to ensure all shared stocks are above sustainable levels (Maximum Sustainable Yield) by 2020
• Sharing catch data and other scientific information with other states

• The discarding ban, as well as provisions for implementation
• Ban on deep-sea (over 800m) bottom trawling and assurance of sustainable fishing by UK boats in international waters
• Fish packaging labelling regulations
• Maintaining or increasing funding for sustainable fishing

• Setting out clear environmental and social criteria for allocating shares of fishing rights (quota). Award more quotas for boats that adopt sustainable fishing gear, avoid sensitive zones, take part in scientific monitoring and achieve certified sustainable status
• Get a solid understanding of the stock status for the commercially-fished UK species that aren’t covered by the EU. Ensure these local depleted stocks rebuild – if Brexit doesn’t guarantee a greater share of EU quota, we can guarantee that our own stocks improve

• Supporting fisheries financially through certification (other countries do this, and would help the industry achieve greater prices for catches)
• Encouraging sustainability with a legally-binding commitment to buying fish from healthy and verifiably sustainable UK stocks for food in the public sector
• Encouraging sustainability with a legally-binding requirement for large food buyers – supermarkets and large foodservice companies – to report transparently on the quantity, source and sustainability status of all the fish and seafood they buy